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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24456658">The Royal Wedding</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneSlimyBoi/pseuds/OneSlimyBoi'>OneSlimyBoi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Royal-Verse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides, Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders &amp; Deceit | Janus Sanders Are Siblings, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders is a Little Shit, Assault, Body Horror, Character Death, Child Abuse, EVERYONE. IS. SUPER. GAY, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone got Daddy Issues, Fantasy Creatures, Forced Marriage, However this is NOT a representation of PTSD, I swear this is about them being on the run and not about all of the angst backstories, I'll add more tags later, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Kingdom and Fantasy AU, Logic | Logan Sanders is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Magicks, Major Character Injury, Murder, Nightmares, Patton is a Prince, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Refrence to death, Repression, Roman is a prince, Sadism, Sexual innuendos (remus), So much denial, Stabbing, Temporary Character Death, The Author Regrets Everything, Too much Janus angst i swear, Trauma, Virgil And Janus Are Brothers, Virgil and Janus are criminals, Witchcraft, everyone is a mess, lots of blood, lots of swearing, slowburn, so much pining, very historically inaccurate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 11:21:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>135,094</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24456658</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneSlimyBoi/pseuds/OneSlimyBoi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two princes, being forced to get married for peace across kingdoms. Patton and Roman would do anything to avoid their inevitable doomed wedding day.</p><p>Two criminals, escaping the law over and over until one day they're caught off guard and finally captured after years of running. Virgil and Janus will do anything to escape their prison cell and fast approaching death day.</p><p>Two royal advisors, Logan and Emile, loyal friends of the princes, going along with crazy princely plans.  </p><p>Two best friends, a sassy witch and an insane duke, They're up for anything, even smuggling two princes, two criminals and more across the entire region.</p><p>--<br/>Ty to my wonderful friend Remy (Canned_Water) for helping me with this story! &lt;3</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders, Honestly theres sprinkles of all the ships in here, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Royal-Verse [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2230857</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1231</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>434</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Deadly Duo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After years and years of never being able to capture the criminals, the deadly duo are finally caught and brought to the prince.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! i'm so excited for this! Ahhhhh! i hope you enjoy it &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Roman was having a hard enough day as it was, trying his hardest to push away all wedding planning and such. Prince Patton was a darling fellow, of course, but there was not a single drop of romantic chemistry between the two. </p><p>They were marrying for peace between kingdoms, as it goes. He knew Prince Patton felt the same way, as both of them had been trying to push away wedding planning, talking of the wedding, and even blocking out the fact it was only a month away. </p><p>Roman's parents had desperately tried to get him interested in Patton, but had given up and instead turned angry at him, saying he just needed to get it over with for the peace. Stupid wars between kingdoms, Roman thought, why couldn't they just get along? </p><p>So, as you can see, he was having quite the day and did not want to deal with anymore royal business, alas, he was not pleasantly welcomed by the shouting and struggling of two young men entering his castle. </p><p>"Let us GO!" One of the men yelled, struggling against the guards that held him. Roman sighed heavily, his parents were out on another one of there peace meetings, and would be gone a few more weeks, so he knew he had to deal with this. He finally took a closer look at said men, before suddenly realizing who they were. </p><p>One, the perhaps slighy taller of the two, (although they were practically the same height) was a dark haired man with a mysterious snake slit eye, and a patch of yellow-y snake scales. He was wearing a sort of black cape, a belt than ran across his chest holding some weapons, another belt around his waist and big black boots.</p><p> He was quieter than the other, a slightly younger, shorter man with black messy hair, dark brown eyes and vampire pale skin. He was dressed in a black cloak with a hood, wearing fingerless gloves and carrying various weapons, mostly knives, on him, plus, he was covered in scars. He noticed the other had scars also.</p><p>"The deadly duo?" Roman said, gasping. He stood up from his throne and took a slight step closer. </p><p>"You managed to capture them? how? they've escaped our guards for years!" He said in disbelief, looking at the two brothers who had now quietened and were only staring at him. </p><p>"We managed to weaken them your majesty, enough so we could capture them before they used there magicks." One guard said, nodding to the prince. </p><p>"I see... take them to the dungeon." Roman said, sighing. He didn't want to have to deal with them right now, but he couldn't deny he was curious. </p><p>Only 10% of the population had magicks, and they intrigued him almost as much as they did his royal advisor and closest friend, Logan. </p><p>Neither of them possessed such power, which greatly disappointed them both, however they both were very keen to find out more about magicks and how they worked. Roman went to find him immediately to tell him they had found the deadly duo. He knew exactly where to go, the library.</p><p>--</p><p>It was a beautiful library, and Roman, despite not being that much into books, still enjoyed visiting it. He could never be sure as to where Logan would be, however. </p><p>He walked around for a while, calling for him in the grand library. He called once more, and then finally heard footsteps before his friend was in front of him. </p><p>"Logan! you really have to stop going into the deepest corners of this library, its like finding a needle in a haystack, but instead its finding a nerd in a library!" Roman said, amused by his own words. Logan was a tall individual with a very neat appearance. Not a single strand of his brown hair was ever out of place, his half glasses never falling off his face, since he adjusted them every five seconds. He wore a waistcoat and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a practical thing, he wasn't particularly fond of it. <br/>
"Apologies your highness, is there something you need from me?" Logan said, nodding his head to him. </p><p>"The guards managed to capture the deadly duo! it took a lot of them, mind, but we finally have them!" He said excitedly. He honestly forgot he was still a prince and he was supposed to be punishing them for their crimes, not fawning over there magicks.  </p><p>"Really? you finally caught them? excellent! can we go to them now?" Logan asked, grabbing his messenger bag that was beside him and pulling out some books rapidly. </p><p>"I suppose, but they will not be happy after being locked up." Roman said, shrugging. I mean, it's not like they were going to get more happy, they were in jail. Logan's face lit up, gathering up his books and waiting for Roman to lead the way. Roman laughed, the only thing that got Logan this excited was the little shop in town's new jam, crofters.</p><p>--</p><p>He took them to the dungeons, putting on his most serious prince face before walking past the guards confidently, Logan following closely behind him. They didn't say anything to him, luckily, and they successfully made in into the dungeon, somewhere neither of them had been before. </p><p>It was cold and dirty down there, as expected. Cobwebs filled the walls, moss and mold all around. Roman made a disgusted face, but Logan was too busy looking around the cells for the two men with magicks to notice his unpleasant surroundings.</p><p>They walked down the long hall of cell after cell of criminals, thieves, murderers, Roman grimaced at the pure amount of crime in his kingdom. The Avia kingdom was a large one, ruled by the beloved king and queen, however people did not the two were not as kind as they seemed. </p><p>The reached the end of the hall, exchanging a look as to what was before them. Two Magick-proofed cells, inside them each was a very angry criminal. </p><p>"Hello there men, i am Logan Sinclair, the prince's royal advisor, and also a scholar, who is interested in your magicks." Logan said, nodding to each of them.</p><p> He wanted to appear less like an enemy in hopes to get them to talk, however, it failed.The younger man huffed and blew a raspberry at him, which took Logan completely by surprise. The other sighed heavily and stood up, getting as close as he could with the chain attached to his leg. </p><p>"Listen, pal. We aren't going to talk to you about anything, so just get the fuck out." He hissed, glaring at them. </p><p>"Can you atleast enlighten me as too why half of your skin is scales?" Logan asked, wishing he could inspect them himself.<br/>
"No. Go away." Janus said, turning away from them. <br/>
"How dare you speak to a prince like that!" Roman scoffed, offended.</p><p> Logan shook his head at Roman, implying they should let it go. They walked out of the dungeon feeling defeated, unsure of how to get more information out of the criminals. As they exited though, they were stopped by a guard. </p><p>"Prince Roman, what do you want to do with the criminals? your parents would of most likely executed the two." The guard said. Roman gulped, he'd never sentenced anyone to death before.</p><p>"Isn't that... a little extreme? how many crimes have these two committed?" Roman asked, the thought of having someone's death on his hands was terrifying. </p><p>"Countless robberies, arson, and injury to civilians." The guard said, frowning at him. </p><p>"Thats... uh.." Roman racked his brain for a reason not to kill them, but they hadn't exactly made themselves look good. They didn't deserve death, that was too much. </p><p>"Just.. don't execute them. Keep them here for now." He sighed heavily. The guard seemed unhappy with the answer, but didn't question him, instead simply nodding to the order. </p><p>Roman begrudgingly returned to this throne, he was still on prince duty after all. However, nothing happened for the rest of the day and he only sat there tiredly looking outwards, longing to do something, anything else. </p><p>Finally, he could return to his room for the night. He sighed as he sat down on his bed, a far, far too big and fancy bed for anyone, but he liked that it made him feel special. Well, i mean, he was special, a prince! prince's a very special and important, he thought. </p><p>He let himself fall backwards onto the pile of pillows, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't stop himself thinking about those two criminals, why would people with magicks need to be criminals? Surely they could make a living selling potions or such, although perhaps that wasn't there type of magicks.</p><p>He wasn't exactly sure what there type of magicks was, no one was. All they knew is they used to escape, every single time without fail, well, apart from this time.</p><p> He grinned to himself, his parents were going to be happy they finally caught the mischief makers. He turned over, yawning and pulling a pillow close to him. A good prince deserves a good nights sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Proper Prince</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Being a prince isn't for everyone, and magicks are interesting.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Prince Patton, you really do need to get the wedding preparations done!" Emile said, rushing around after him. </p><p>"Emile, it's fine! is there not a way someone else can do it all? Like a.. wedding planner?" Patton asked, continuing to walk away from Emile.<br/>"Yes but they need your approval!" Emile said, sighing as he finally gave up chasing the prince. </p><p>"I'm aware you and Roman don't really want to marry, but you don't have a choice in the matter." Emile said, he felt bad for Patton and Roman, he couldn't imagine being forced into a marriage. Patton finally stopped, sadly looking down at the floor. </p><p>"I want to marry for <em>love</em>. Roman is wonderful but he's like a brother, or a son to me." He said, finally turning around to face Emile. </p><p>"Maybe it won't be so bad? it'll be like having your best friend by your side always." Emile said, but he wasn't even fooling himself.</p><p>"People will expect us to be affectionate, and live together, and all that, and neither of us are comfortable with that." Patton said, retracing his steps back to Emile.</p><p>"I'm sorry, your highness. You have a date with him later today, you should get ready." Emile said, giving Patton a pat on the shoulder as he walked past. He exited the room, wishing he could do more to help. </p><p>Patton, feeling defeated, got ready for this "date" they had become a nice meetup between friends, but often there would be some people following them around trying to get something for the newspaper or such. Of course, they never got anything interesting and tended to make things up to make it look like they were having interesting romantical dates. </p><p>He looked in the mirror, fixing his hair after putting on a nice white and pale blue princely suit. </p><p>His vision had never been quite perfect, but he could see well enough. If the blurriness when he was tired or moved to fast would go away though, that would be great. </p><p>He of course, knew glasses where a thing, but as a prince, it wasn't proper for him to wear them. </p><p>He sighed as he took one last look at himself. His golden brown eyes stared back at him, his brunette locks and freckled face too. </p><p>He was going to be married in a month to someone he had no romantic feelings for, stuck forever all because the kingdoms couldn't get along. </p><p>He longed for a real love, someone smart and kind, not that Roman wasn't, but he did have a bit of an ego. </p><p>He knew Roman wanted someone more opinionated, more interesting, more rebellious. Patton had his opinions but he had a bad habit of keeping them to himself unless they were needed, and he was fairly soft and tame. </p><p>He turned and headed towards his door, atleast he would have a good friend always by his side, even if he never found love.</p><p>--</p><p>"The deadly duo, pfft, that's all the idiots could come up with." Virgil laughed, walking around the little space he could. He looked over to Janus, who was miserable slouched on the cold floor of the cell. </p><p>"Come on Jan, might aswell have a laugh at their stupidity before they chop our heads off." Janus glared at him.<br/>"Ever so sorry i'm not looking forward to dying Virgil." He scoffed, rolling his eyes. </p><p>"Hey, it's not my fault we got caught! those assholes used a witch, there not even allowed to do that!" Virgil hissed back. It was true, witches were banned in the kingdom of Avia. </p><p>"Well we can't do anything about it! It's over, it's been done and now we're going to die." Janus said, sighing heavily. </p><p>"Can't you use your magicks to get us out? i know its a `magicks proofed cell` but how much can they really know about magicks? Plus covering all aspects of it? atleast try." Virgil said, he was desperate. </p><p>"It's only going to get us killed sooner if i fail!" Janus huffed. Virgil sighed and slide down the cold wall of the cell. <br/>"Alright... fine." He mumbled. Janus looked over at him, frowning. The two of them had only had eachother for a long time. Janus had always kept them from getting caught, stupid witch. </p><p>-- </p><p>Patton and Roman sat uncomfortably in the restaurant, aware of people staring at them. <br/>"I wish we didn't have to on these dates.." Patton mumbled. <br/>"I know, it sucks... but hey, the food is good." Roman said, trying to laugh through the awkwardness.</p><p>"So, have you been putting off the wedding prep too?" Patton asked, twirling his spoon around in his bowl of soup.<br/>"Yeah... Logan has been helping me put it off." Roman said, sighing.</p><p>"You always talk about this Logan like he's your guardian angel or something." Patton laughed, "I would love to meet him one day." </p><p>"I mean, you will. I know that no matter what happens when we get married, i'm not letting him get sacked, so you will meet him." Roman said, he had promised Logan he wouldn't be out of a job. </p><p>"Ah, i see. I don't want to put Emile out of a job either, he's a good kid." Patton said, nodding. </p><p>"I'll help the best i can to keep his job, since your moving to my castle. About that actually, your not too upset about leaving your kingdom, are you?" Roman asked. </p><p>Patton shook his head, "No, it's not exactly like i have friends or anything, apart from Emile of course. It'll be a nice change of scenery!" He spoke.</p><p>"Well, you've seen some of Avia already since your always coming here for these dates." Roman said, looking around him. He frowned as the people nearest to him turned suddenly, whispering to eachother. </p><p>"How about we go to the castle now, actually? it'll be nice for you to see it." He said, turning back to Patton.</p><p>"Ooo, sounds like fun!" Patton said, dropping his spoon into the soup he wasn't even eating. Roman laughed as it splashed up a little, just missing Patton. "Oops."</p><p>-- </p><p>The castle of Avia was a large, grand building. It was the center of the whole kingdom, a huge pathway leading up to it. It was surrounded by bushes and trees all neatly kept, and a large fountain infront of the entrance. </p><p>"Your castle is bigger and prettier than mine." Patton said as they drew closer. He already knew that, however, Avia was a bigger kingdom, hence why he was moving to Roman's castle instead of the other way around. </p><p>They didn't want to have to live together, but they had no choice. Both of there parents had been clear there was not another option.</p><p>They made there way inside. There was a grand entrance, a chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a long red carpet, stands of armor each side of the walkway. Actual guards stood at every possible post, Patton wondered how many they had to hire to cover all that ground. </p><p>"Here we are! grand old throne room." Roman said, trying to sound excited but failing as he had seen a dozen times.</p><p>"Your castle is grander than mine... i suppose theres quite of bit of it too explore, if we can ever get away from all the royal duties, that is." Patton said, looking around. </p><p>"Yeah... heh, atleast we don't have to have any kids." Roman laughed, trying to bring light to the situation.</p><p>"It's not nice to think of all the forced marriages where people were made to have children even though they didn't want to." Patton said sadly, turning his gaze down to the marble floor.</p><p>"Isn't that how your parents met?" Roman asked, turning to look at Patton.<br/>"Yeah, they've never exactly.. gotten along perfectly." He shrugged, putting his hand up to the back of his neck.</p><p>"Suppose my parents are lucky they married out of choice." Roman mumbled. There was a moment of silence before Roman broke it with a cough.</p><p>"Right! you wanted to meet Logan, correct?" Patton nodded to his question, excited to meet the person Roman talked about so much.</p><p>"Too the library! i have no doubt that is where he is." </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>me: ok, i can't rush the ships, i can't rush the ships, i can't rush the ships-<br/></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Escape</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What do you do when your trapped in jail? well, obviously, you escape.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So he.. is not in the library!" Roman said, he and Patton had searched the entire library for him, and found nothing. </p><p>"He's your royal advisor, right? What if he's doing.. royally business stuff? Patton said, waving his hand around. </p><p>"He honestly doesn't do that much of that kind of thing, my parent's advisor does most of it." Roman shrugged. "He's actually also a scholar, and he spents a lot of time writing stuff." </p><p>"I see... well he could still be doing it right? or is there anywhere else you think he might be?" Patton asked.</p><p>"Actually... yeah, there is somewhere he might be.."</p><p>-- </p><p>"The dungeons? why on earth would he be in there?" Patton asked as they approached.</p><p>"I didn't tell you? we caught the deadly duo! he wants to know about there magicks, and so do i." Roman said, the rush of catching the criminals all coming back to him.</p><p>"That's amazing! those two are literally known throughout the whole region." Patton said in awe.</p><p>"I know! i have no idea how my guards captured them." Roman said, pulling Patton down into the dungeons. </p><p>They hurried past all the other criminals to the end of the cells, where as Roman had guessed, Logan was stood. </p><p>"Logan! there you are." Roman said. Logan turned suddenly in surprise, he had been so lost in thought he didn't hear them coming. </p><p>"Ah, your highness. My deepest apologies, i was trying to get some more information out of..." He frowned and turned back to the two men in the cells, "What are your names?" </p><p>"Like we'd tell you." Virgil scoffed, crossing his arms. <br/>"As the prince of this kingdom, i demand you tell me your names!" Roman said, stepping forward. The two criminals exchanged a look before bursting out into laughter.</p><p>"Oh no, the prince has demanded i tell him something, how ever will i deny such a request?" Janus said, waving his hands around in a joke fear.</p><p>"How dare you! you are such uncouth, stubborn, disgusting criminals!" Roman huffed, putting his hand to his chest in offence. </p><p>"Thanks for the compliment princey." Virgil said, smirking at him. Logan sighed and turned back once again to the princes.</p><p>"Oh, Prince Roman, you have company?" He said, looking at Patton. <br/>"Yes, this is Prince Patton of Deria!" Roman said. </p><p>"Hello! i've heard a lot about you from Roman!" Patton said, waving and smiling at him. Logan's face quickly went up in a blush, but he rushed to adjust his glasses in an attempt to cover it up. </p><p>"Well, thank you very much, it's a pleasure to be in your presence, Prince Patton." Logan said, bowing slightly. </p><p>"Awe! well aren't you just cute as a button?" Patton giggled. <br/>"Is it just me are is your literal fiance flirting with your advisor guy, princey?" Virgil said from behind them, smirking. </p><p>"Stay out of it, filthy criminal." Roman spat at him.<br/>"That would be inappropriate." Logan said, glaring at Virgil. </p><p>"Sure, whatever." Virgil said, rolling his eyes. He slumped back to the other side of the cell, exiting the conversation once again. </p><p>"Well, since you two clearly aren't going to answer any more of our questions, we should get going." Roman said, glaring at the two criminals. </p><p>"Hold on, i need to ask something." Janus said, standing up. "When... are you going to kill us?"</p><p>Roman only stared at him, completely caught off guard by the question.<br/>"Well i.... i... i don't know. I'm holding them off for now but i can only keep you alive so long." He sighed. </p><p>"You... actually stopped them from killing us?" Virgil asked, standing up slowly. </p><p>"You don't deserve death, you haven't killed anyone.... right?" The two men shook their heads, they hadn't killed anyone. They hadn't even hurt anyone who they didn't need too, they weren't monsters. </p><p>"But... i'll probably only be able to keep it off till my parents return for me and Prince Patton's wedding." Roman sighed heavily. </p><p>"I see..." Janus said, he looked down at his gloved hand. A plan was forming in his head, but it was risky.</p><p>-- </p><p>"Well, it was lovely to have you here!" Roman said as he and Patton made there way out of the castle, Logan behind them. </p><p>"Yeah, it's nice that your guards don't follow you every single place you go." Patton said. </p><p>"They try, but i tell them not too all the time and they seem to have finally gotten the hint." Roman said, rolling his eyes. </p><p>"Ah, the carriage." Roman nodded to the carriage that was pulled up in front of the castle. Patton lifted his hand up to simply wave them goodbye, but then remembered that people could see them. </p><p>He gave Roman a hug, he hoped it was enough to look like a proper goodbye to your fiance, and he did like hugs after all. He wanted to hug Logan as well but that most definitely wouldn't go down well, so he waved them off and left. </p><p>"He is sweet." Roman said, smiling as he turned to Logan. "Somewhat like a father figure, don't you think?" </p><p>"I don't see that, however, he does seem to be a nice, caring person." Logan nodded. </p><p>"Your just saying that because you like him." Roman said, smirking at Logan.<br/>"What? that is completely inappropriate! also, speak quieter, someone will hear you!" Logan hissed at him. </p><p>"Whatever you say pocket protector." Roman said, snickering. </p><p>--</p><p>"Janus?" Virgil mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. It was pretty difficult to get any sleep in a cold, hard floored cell, but he supposed he had dozed off for a little while.</p><p>He looked up and across to the other cell, Janus was pacing around as he looked down at his gloved hand. </p><p>Virgil's were more of a look to be honest, and just to protect his hands overall, however Janus's had a purpose. </p><p>There are different types of Magicks, spells and potions, and power. The power types of Magicks was elemental based, lightning, fire, ice, etc.</p><p>Janus was a power type of Magicks user, and Virgil a potion and spells kind. A potion and spells kind is different to a witch however. </p><p>A witch uses the essence in the nature around them and pulls it into a wand or staff to use, a Magicks user has the essence already in them, and uses it through there hands. </p><p>While witches have to use ingredients to make potions, a Magicks user can simply use the essence inside them, however it still takes a while to make one. </p><p>Virgil's power wasn't going to get them out, but Janus's could. But if he didn't succeed and get away quick enough, it would end extremely badly. </p><p>"If your going to do it.... do it now." Virgil said, knowing what he was thinking. It was late a night, he had no idea what time but it was a much better time to do it than in the daytime. </p><p>"Are you sure?" Janus said, finally stopping his pacing and looking over to his little brother. Virgil nodded to him. </p><p>"Alright..." Janus took a deep breath in, reaching for his glove. The glove kept any magicks from occurring accidentally, and as he pulled it off, a million things ran through his mind. </p><p>"I will come back for you... i love you." Janus whispered, suddenly feeling he was making far too much noise. </p><p>"Love you too." Virgil gave him a rare smile, he knew there was no way for Janus to break them both out at the same time, they wouldn't be able to escape the guards. </p><p>Janus looked towards the wall, holding up his hand. Suddenly there was a huge crashing sound, dust filled the area around. </p><p>Guards immediately came rushing into the dungeon, yelling. There was another loud bang, more dust. As the dust cleared, they were shocked to find there was only one criminal there, coughing as he waved his hand around to clear the remainders. <br/> <br/>Both the Magick-proofed wall and the castle one had been broken, parts of the bricks fallen to the ground. </p><p>"What the hell!?" One of the guards growled. <br/>"That witch told us they were magick-proof!" Another yelled. </p><p>"There only proofed to one kind of magicks, dumb-asses." Virgil called out. <br/>"What do you mean?!" One of the guards demanded, going up to Virgil's cell. </p><p>"There only spell and potion magicks proof." Virgil said, rolling his eyes. <br/>"WE NEED TO FIND THE CRIMINAL NOW!" The guard called to the others, they all rushed out. </p><p>"I don't care what you say, i'm staying here so you don't try anything." They growled, turning back to Virgil, who only shrugged. It wasn't like he could do anything anyways, only hope Janus got away. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you enjoyed this chapter! this got hits pretty quickly owo</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Runaway</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Janus runs, Janus falls, Janus dies?</p><p>eh, not exactly.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Janus ran, i mean, what else can you do when a bunch of guards are on your tail? </p><p>He ran straight into the woods outside the castle, praying he would be able to eventually find his way back. </p><p>After a while, things went quiet, he had successfully gotten away at least. He stopped, breathing heavily. </p><p>"Now i just have to not die in the middle of the woods." He said, sarcastic even at that moment. </p><p>He closed his eyes, he was exhausted. He took a few steps forward, something he would instantly regret.</p><p>It was so dark he hadn't noticed there was a huge ditch in front of him. He barely heard his own voice scream before everything went black and silent. </p><p>-- </p><p>Janus woke up slowly, his entire body ached,<em> why do i feel like someone broke every single one of my bones?</em>  </p><p>He could barely open his eyes, he couldn't see much, but he could see he was lying on something, and only his cloak had been removed, while most of his limbs were wrapped up in bandages. </p><p>He groaned, he hadn't died at least, but he was obviously pretty badly injured. Where was he anyways? </p><p>Well, where ever it was, they had helped him, right? so he didn't need to worry about being in danger... right?</p><p>"Hey! he's awake!" A high-pitched deafening sounding voice called out. <br/>
"You have scales!" Janus blinked his eyes open to see a strange looking man leaning over him, shit-eating grin and all. </p><p>"Who the fuuhhh are youu." His words came out a little slurred, his throat hurt too, just like the rest of his body. </p><p>The man laughed, "I'm the Duke! the Duke of Greenstown!" He said proudly.<br/>
"Remus! stop yelling in the poor guys face." Another voice said, sighing heavily. </p><p>"Are you alright?" they said, coming closer. Janus finally opened his eyes fully, taking in the two people infront of him. </p><p>One was a wild looking man with a mustache, bright green eyes and his hair was dark brown, plus it had a gray streak through it. </p><p>An abnormal feature, Janus thought, he must be a magicks user. He was wearing an odd sort of black and green suit with a sash. He looked over at the other guy. </p><p>He also had dark brown hair, which was straight unlike the other guys wild hair. his eyes were gray and he wore a shirt, and a cloak with a witch's hat on top of his head. </p><p>"I feel like death. Speaking of which... how am i not dead?" Janus asked, getting a chuckle out of the mustache guy.</p><p>"We found you in the woods while Remus was trying to find a deer to kill, god knows why, however, i managed to heal you a little but we needed to get you back here so you could heal fully." The witch guy said, nodding to him. </p><p>"I see.. well thank you for helping me." Janus sighed, luckily he had never heard of Greenstown and he knew it wasn't a place he and Virgil had been. </p><p>"Ooo! can i touch your scaleys now? Remy said i couldn't touch them because its weird." Remus said suddenly. </p><p>"Uhm, no." Janus said, sitting up properly. "So, your a magicks user who is the duke of a town, and your a witch? are you like, his assistant or something?" it was strange to see a place so welcoming of those types of people.</p><p>Most places don't even allow witches, let alone employ them in high ranking jobs. That was because, although it took a lot of time, being a witch was a thing that could be learned. </p><p>People saw it as a threat, that witches could build up an army and attack or such. Magicks users were much more rare, and many people didn't know anything about them. </p><p>"Pretty much." Remy shrugged.<br/>
"So, why were you dying in the woods?" Remus asked, looking Janus up and down.</p><p>"I was just walking, it helps clear my head, however i got a little lost, then i wasn't looking where i was going and i tripped." Janus lied perfectly, he never slipped up.</p><p>"Walking? it was late, plus, where did you even come from? This place is the only place around here, apart from Avia itself." Remy asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"I walk late, when no one else is about." Janus avoided the other question, there was nowhere he could of come from apart from Avia. He didn't know where Greenstown was, was it <em>inside </em>Avia's walls?</p><p>"I see." Remy looked like he had more questions, but dropped it.<br/>
"Oh, i know you probably want to get the hell out of here, but you can't. No way you can walk for a while so, sorry about that." Remy shrugged.</p><p><strong><em>Shit. </em></strong><br/>
"But we make great company!" Remus added proudly.<br/>
"Yeah it's a good job you can't do anything because you would be stabbing him in an instant." Remy sighed heavily.</p><p>"But i'm so lovable!" Remus argued, pouting.<br/>
"Sure you are, you insane rat."</p><p>"By the way, what's your name?" Remy added, looking back at Janus.<br/>
"It's... Janus." <em>Why didn't he lie? why did he just tell these strangers his name? What the hell, brain!</em></p><p>"Janice?" Remy repeated, staring at him.<br/>
"Janus. J-A-N-U-S." Janus sighed.</p><p>"Weird name." Remy smirked at him before exiting the room. <br/>
"You wanna watch me eat something that shouldn't be eaten??" Remus asked eagerly.</p><p>"What..? No? why would i-" But before he could finish, Remus was shoving a dirty sponge into his mouth. </p><p>
  <em>Well, this is going to be a long few days. Or however long it is till i can walk... shit.</em>
</p><p>--</p><p>The next morning at the castle was chaotic. None of the guards had managed to find the escaped prisoner, one of the deadly duo, an extremely wanted criminal!</p><p>With the king and queen still being gone, all panic and questions were given to Roman.</p><p>"Everyone calm down! just get the other one, we'll ask him what happened." Roman sighed, he loved being a prince in many ways, he loved the regal life and respect everyone gave him but he was not cut out to be a king. </p><p>The guards nodded, and disappeared off to the dungeons. Not too long later, they returned with a moody looking pale boy. </p><p>"What?" He said sharply as he stood infront of Roman.<br/>
"Tell us everything about the escape." Roman said firmly.</p><p>"Why would i? what, are you going to kill me?" Virgil teased, smirking. <br/>
"Do not disrespect Prince Roman!" One of the guards said, pointing there sword to Virgil's chest. </p><p>"Calm down. No, as i have already stated, you are not to be killed while i am giving orders." Roman took a step down, getting closer to the boy.</p><p>"Say, how old are you anyways?" Roman asked curiously. Virgil looked at him, confused, how did the subject change so fast?</p><p>"Uh, 18?" Virgil answered, it wasn't exactly vital information to them.</p><p>"Really? Your barely any younger than me yet you look like a child." Roman snickered, "Back to the other thing... was your escape plan for both of you? where did he go? what do you know about it?"</p><p> He stepped closer to him with each question, getting right up in face by the end. </p><p>"No plan, he just did it. Got no clue where he went." Virgil shrugged, i mean, he wasn't really lying. He didn't know where Janus went, he only knew that he must of atleast gotten away.</p><p>"Waste of time!" Roman said, frustrated as he stepped back.<br/>
"We can send more people out to search for him, your majesty?" One of the guards offered.</p><p>"No we already sent some out, i'm sure they'll... probably find him. Besides, surely he's planning on coming back for you? we'll definitely find him then." Roman smirked, and for the first time, Virgil was a little scared. </p><p>He didn't want Janus to get hurt trying to come for him, that's for sure. They took him back down to the dungeon, shoving him inside the cell. </p><p>They laughed as they walked off, talking about what a 'stupid criminal' Virgil was, however they didn't know. </p><p>Virgil smirked to himself, he put his hand to his neck, reaching under the cloak to find a cold chain, he tugged it, pulling out a golden amulet. </p><p>"I hope Janus didn't lose his.." He mumbled, fiddling with the amulet in his hand. It was a communication device, they had managed to hide them from the guards when they took there weapons away. </p><p>"Time to find out where he is, i guess." </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Message</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Virgil tries to find Janus and Roman realizes there's only one way to keep Virgil from being killed</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Virgil held the amulet on the necklace in his hands, staring at its gold frame and swirling blue and green center. </p><p>It was a beautiful necklace, Janus told him that he stole them from a powerful witch years ago.</p><p>They had one each, so they could communicate with each other if they ever got split up.</p><p>He lifted it up slightly, before clearing his throat and saying, "Send message." It immediately lit up, so bright it almost blinded him.</p><p>"Janus, where are you? i hope your safe. wherever you are, do NOT come back for me. They will get you and kill us both immediately, i swear. If your safe, then stay. I'll try and find a way out and... if not... then, atleast you get another shot at life." </p><p>He sighed. As soon as he finished speaking the amulet went dull again, he knew the message had sent. </p><p>"Guess i gotta wait." He mumbled to himself. </p><p>--</p><p>Janus couldn't really move, he could sort of sit up, but everything still ached like hell. </p><p>Remus and Remy would come in sometimes, more often Remus. <em>Doesn't this guy have a town to run??</em> Janus couldn't understand him at all.</p><p>If you were being kind, you would call Remus creative. If you were being blunt and honest, you would call him bat shit crazy.</p><p>Everytime he came in he would do something weird and disgusting, <em>god knows</em> what was going on in his head. </p><p>Half the time he would ask Janus if he wanted to, as he put it, "get freaky" to which Janus would always respond with a look of disgust. </p><p>It had only been like... <em>a day</em>. He sighed heavily to himself, how the heck was he gonna get through this? </p><p>Suddenly he felt something. He looked down, something was glowing. He quickly realized, pulling the amulet out. He gently tapped it, a wave of relief washing over him at the familar voice.</p><p>
  <em>"Janus, where are you? i hope your safe. wherever you are, do NOT come back for me. They will get you and kill us both immediately, i swear. If your safe, then stay. I'll try and find a way out and... if not... then, atleast you get another shot at life." </em>
</p><p>He frowned to himself, there was no way he was leaving Virgil to die there. But should he tell Virgil his location? No one else knew how the amulets worked, it's not like they would be able to use it.</p><p>If Virgil got out, he needed to find his way here. The duke didn't seem like the type of person who minded hosting criminals. </p><p>"Send message."</p><p>"Virgil, i can't come back for you right now, i got pretty badly injured when i fell into a ditch. Two people found me, an insane duke and his witch assistant, they helped me though so i guess its okay? anyways, you have to try and find a way out, do NOT let yourself die whatever you do. I'm in a place called Greenstown, that's all i know, sorry." </p><p>The amulet went dull, the message having been sent. Janus sighed to himself, then let himself fall backwards onto the stiff bed. He hadn't really looked properly around the small room.</p><p>It had an old bed, a night stand with a candle on it, and an old wardrobe. There was a few odd things around it, Janus wasn't sure what it was supposed to be but there was a lot of spiders and a few mice running around it, nasty.</p><p>--</p><p>"What do i <em>do</em> Logan?" Roman sighed, pacing around his bedroom.</p><p>"Your highness-"</p><p>"Roman."</p><p>"- Roman. The guards returned without the criminal, saying they had searched every surrounding town and village, they could not find him. It is most likely he is..." Logan paused, coughing slightly.</p><p>"You think he died? oh god your right, he probably got attacked or something!" Roman suddenly started panicking, he had specifically not wanted to kill them!</p><p>"Well, theres a chance he's still alive. However the guards asked the guards and dukes and duchesses of all surrounding villages and towns and none of them had seen anything."</p><p>"Even that crazy guy from greens...whatever?" Roman asked desperately. Logan shook his head. Roman didn't even know where the town was, all he knew was that some crazy guy ran it, apparently.</p><p>"He said he hadn't seen anything." Roman let out a frustrated sigh, he couldn't think of anything.</p><p>Then there was a knock on the door, Logan went over and answered immediately.</p><p>"Prince Roman." It was his parents royal advisor, "I sent a letter to your parents, informing them of the situation, and they said we are two get rid of the boys immediately. With only one left, our best course of action is too kill him and continue searching for the other."</p><p>Roman stared at him. </p><p>"No-"</p><p>"It is not an option. They have ordered to kill him."</p><p>"No!" </p><p>"I'm sorry your highness." The advisor left. </p><p>"No no no! there going to kill him, what do we do!?" Roman turned to Logan, he couldn't have that blood on his hands. </p><p>All the other criminals, he never talked to them, he never even looked at them, he didn't know what they had done, he just assumed they all had done something death worthy, but he was wrong.</p><p>He couldn't let Virgil die, there wasn't a good enough reason. By no means was Virgil a good person, and he definitely deserved something for his crimes, but not death. </p><p>"We can't do anything." Logan stated blankly. </p><p>"Yes we can. We can get him out before they kill him."</p><p>--</p><p>Virgil sat, curled up into a ball for warmth as he stared at the amulet, waiting for Janus' response.</p><p>He <em>needed</em> a response. He needed to know Janus was safe. </p><p>Finally, it glowed. He gasped before covering up his mouth. He gently tapped the amulet, the voice leaking out.</p><p>
  <em>"Virgil, i can't come back for you right now, i got pretty badly injured when i fell into a ditch. Two people found me, an insane duke and his witch assistant, they helped me though so i guess its okay? anyways, you have to try and find a way out, do NOT let yourself die whatever you do. I'm in a place called Greenstown, that's all i know, sorry." </em>
</p><p>"Greenstown?" Virgil mumbled to himself. </p><p>"Atleast he's alive... but he is injured." He sighed, "Don't let myself die? not going to work since they're gonna chop my head off." </p><p>Then he heard something, whispering somewhere. His head shot up to look in the direction the sound came from. </p><p>It wasn't guards, they definitely didn't whisper. They came closer, although he still couldn't make out what they were saying.</p><p>It was the middle of the night... or atleast Virgil thought it was. He couldn't tell what time it was anymore. </p><p>Then he could see who it was, and he couldn't believe his eyes. There infront of him, holding the cell keys was the snobby Prince.</p><p>However he didn't... look princely. He wasn't wearing his Prince clothes, he was dressed in plain dark clothes instead, presumably to get into the dungeon in the first place.</p><p>"Come on. This is your one chance or else your going to die. So, do you trust me?"</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>was that an aladdin reference? maybe-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Escape Once Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Virgil makes a run for it, except he had two unexpected guests with him...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"What?"</p><p>"I said do you trust me? Come on, we don't have much time!" Roman hissed.</p><p>Virgil hovered for a moment, staring at him. </p><p>"Your.. serious?"</p><p>"Yes! listen, i don't like you and your a nightmare and your definitely not a good person but for gods sake you don't deserve to die!" Roman whisper-shouted.</p><p>"Wow okay.. how are we going to get out?" Virgil asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"Uh... duh." Roman nodded his head to the huge hole that was still in Janus' cell. It had been making the dungeon freezing. </p><p>"Right." Virgil stood up, going over to the cell door. Roman slowly opened it, trying to be quiet. </p><p>That's when Virgil noticed Logan was there too, he didn't look like he really approved of this whole idea, but Virgil supposed he kinda had to do what Roman said.</p><p>Roman went over and unlocked the other cell, then stood back. <br/>"You got somewhere to go?" Roman asked Virgil, who nodded in reply.</p><p>"Right.. well bye i guess.." Roman shrugged awkwardly.  <br/>"Right... uh.. thanks." Virgil mumbled. </p><p>"HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE?!" The sound of a guards booming voice filled the dungeon, sending them into panic. </p><p>"N-nothing!" Roman called out, panicking more as the guards came flooding in. </p><p>"You idiot! it's dark and without your shiny dumb princey outfit they can't tell its you!" Virgil hissed as the guards came closer.</p><p>The guards had there weapons out, they had to get out. They just tried to save him, so he should atleast return the favour right?</p><p>He grabbed both of there hands, pulled them into the cell and pulled them through the hole in the wall which was pathetically covered up with a sheet.</p><p>He let them go, hoping they would have enough common sense to follow him in there escape. Which luckily, they did. </p><p>They ran for a while, keeping to the edges of the woods, unlike Janus. They eventually stopped after what seemed like forever. </p><p>"You... criminal!" Roman managed to get out inbetween heavy breathing.</p><p>"Excuse me? i just saved your damn life!" Virgil said back with as much salt as he could muster while being so out of breath. </p><p>"Now were in the middle of nowhere, and i don't know how to get back!" Roman hissed.</p><p>"You would of died. Hate to break it to you princey, but your guards are dumb as shit and without your fancy outfit they have no clue what you look like." Virgil scoffed.</p><p>"That is... true." Logan said.<br/>"Not helping Logan!" Roman spat at him.</p><p>"Sorry." </p><p>"Okay. We have to focus on not dying." Virgil sighed.<br/>"I know somewhere we can go, either of you know where Greenstown is?" He asked, confused by the two mens confused faces.</p><p>"That lying bastard! he told us he didn't know where the other criminal was!" Roman scoffed. </p><p>"The Duke of Greenstown had told us he hadn't seen your friend, which was clearly a falsehood." Logan explained.</p><p>"Sounds like a fun guy. He lied to.. what, the biggest kingdom in the region?" </p><p>"Great. I've heard that guy is insane, your friend might already be his prisoner." Roman rolled his eyes, sighing heavily.</p><p>"Nope, he said they helped him." Virgil said. The other two froze, staring at him.</p><p>"I- i mean-" <em>shit. Virgil you idiot!</em></p><p>"You've been in contact with him?" Logan asked, how was that even possible?</p><p>"Well...."</p><p>"TELL US HOW CRIMINAL!" Roman yelled suddenly, grabbing the front of Virgil's shirt.</p><p>"Holy shit do you not know personal space?!" Virgil hissed, pulling away.</p><p>"Tell us." Roman demanded, glaring at him.</p><p>"It's... part of my magicks?" Virgil wasn't even fooling himself, the others glared at him, clearly not believing him.</p><p>"Geez fine, we both have a communication amulet, alright?" He sighed, pulling out the amulet.</p><p>"Wait.. i got an idea." Virgil said, holding the amulet in his hand. The other two watched intensely as Virgil used it.</p><p>"Send message."</p><p>"Janus! we escaped, by that i mean me, the dumb prince and his weird advisor, i'll explain later, just, we're in the woods and were lost, can you get the crazy duke guy or something to come find us?" </p><p>"You really think that will work?" Roman questioned, ignoring the 'dumb prince' comment.</p><p>"Janus fell into a ditch and they found him, they obviously know their way around the woods and they aren't bothered about helping criminals, so its our best shot." Virgil shrugged. </p><p>"Logically, he is correct, that is our highest chance of survival." </p><p>"LOGAN! who's side are you on!?" Roman hissed, before sitting down on a nearby rock and sighing, his head in his hands.</p><p>"He's on the side of not dying." Roman's head shot up, glaring at Virgil.</p><p>"You know i'm right rich boy, you know nothing about the world you know? you've been living it up your entire life, you don't know shit." Virgil spat.</p><p>Roman stared at him, he knew Virgil was right, but he didn't want to admit it. </p><p>"We shouldn't wander much, we'll just get more lost. Hopefully Janus gets my message quick and this crazy duke guy is willing to come find us." Virgil sighed, how the hell did he even get into this mess? Now he's stuck with a princey and a nerd while trying not to die in the middle of the woods. Fun.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>aHHH- ik this chapter isnt amazing, writersblockk and i couldn't fix it :&lt; so yeah- hopefully i can fix the next chapter cuz that ones even worSe- i might have to rewrite it .... a lot- xD i'm honestly just trying to get the point where they all meet up and stuff because thats. where. the. a D V E N T U Re starts-  two princes, two criminals, two royal advisors, a witch and an insane duke on the run from two huge kingdoms? uhm yes</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Patton Knows</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Patton is told some upsetting news, but he's not sure he's been told the truth</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>Patton couldn't believe what he was hearing. <em>Prince Roman had been kidnapped? how on earth had that happened!?</em></p><p>He was pacing about, worried out of his mind. Not that anyone else cared, but it had been mentioned the prince's royal advisor had been missing too, which meant Patton had two people he was worried about.</p><p>"Prince Patton, you need to calm down, your going to burn a hole through the floor." Emile said, he was trying to joke to lighten the mood, but he could tell it didn't work as Patton looked up, staring at him. </p><p>"Emile... what if they're <em>dead</em>?" He whispered, he could barely the words in his mind, let alone say it out loud.</p><p>"I'm sure they're okay, Patton. Gosh knows how he got kidnapped in the first place, it doesn't even add up." </p><p>"Wait..." Patton froze, "You're... right... it doesn't... it doesn't add up...!" He rushed over to Emile, grabbing him by the shoulders.</p><p>"It doesn't add up!" He said, practically shouting. Emile was staring at him with a mix of confusion and slight fear.</p><p>"Something else is going on here! Why would someone first of all, manage to get into the castle, plus to Roman's room, plus kidnap both him and his royal advisor! why would he take Logan too? that doesn't make sense! it's impossible!" </p><p>"I... i guess your right... even if it was one of the guards, explaining how they got in, why would they take Logan too? i'm sure he's lovely but ransom wise he isn't worth anything..." Emile took a step back, thinking. </p><p>"Exactly! we.. we have to find them!" Patton turned suddenly, rushing over to the door. </p><p>"Wait! Patton!" Emile called out, chasing him as he ran out of the room, sprinting down the hall. The guards that patrolled the halls watched in confusion as there prince sped by, his advisor following desperately after him.</p><p>Patton finally stopped outside the guards quarter, which was currently empty as they were all on duty. He stepped inside, looking around for what he needed.</p><p>"Prince Patton!" Emile finally caught up, panting from the running. He had no idea how Patton wasn't completely exhausted. </p><p>Patton didn't reply, he had slowed his pace to a walk as he went over to the to sword stand, he had never even picked one up before. </p><p>"Pri- Patton?" Emile slowly walked towards him, he had no idea what Patton was thinking but it surely wasn't good. </p><p>Patton stopped and spun around, he had only just seemed to notice Emile was there. </p><p>"Oh.... you followed me? heh... guess i was trying to loose you." </p><p>"Yeah just a little, you ran like a bear was chasing you!" Emile scoffed. Patton smiled sheepishly, before turning his attention back to the guards things.</p><p>He grabbed a bag - the guards had them for when they went out to retrieve or search for someone - and turned back to the swords.</p><p>"A sword is risky..." He mumbled to himself, once again blocking out Emile, then turned to the display of daggers, grabbing one and putting in the bag. </p><p>"Patton... what are you doing?" Emile asked cautiously. Patton didn't reply once again, looking around again. </p><p>"Maybe just some basic supplies and a change of clothes..." Patton mumbled to himself, he went over and grabbed some medical supplies. </p><p>"Emile, i need you to go to the kitchens and get some bread, apples, that kind of stuff." Patton said to his advisor and friend, a serious look on his face.</p><p>"Are you... going to<em> runaway</em>?" Emile asked in disbelief.</p><p>"I'm not <em>running away</em>, i'm going out to search for them. Actually, we're going out to search for them." </p><p>"We? Prince Patton...."</p><p>"I can't do it alone! and i can't trust anyone else to not tell my parents about this." Patton sighed, he turned fully to Emile. Emile could see he wasn't fully sure about this himself, but Patton wasn't one to give up on people he cared about, ever. </p><p>"Alright... go to my quarters, you'll find some more practical clothes, i'll go get the food..." Emile sighed, giving in. Patton beamed at him, rushing off again after shoving the bag in Emile's arms. </p><p>"Sometimes i wonder if i've lost my mind..." Emile mumbled to himself, closing the bag so the dagger wasn't visible before heading for the kitchens. </p><p>--</p><p>Patton's guards weren't much smarter than Roman's, and after putting an old pair of Emile's glasses on, none of them seemed to notice him. </p><p>They went back to the kitchens, sneaking out the kitchen's exit. </p><p>"This is so exciting! i've never been out here without a guard before!" Patton said excitedly. </p><p>"Patton! there's guards around here still, shh!" </p><p>"Sorry Emile... heh."</p><p>The kingdom of Avia and the kingdom of Deria where right next to each other, hence the disputes. No one knew that Greenstown was hidden away in Avia's woods, a woodland that covered a large area. The walls of the two kingdoms were barely apart, making it easy to Emile and Patton to sneak from one to the other, after they had figured out how to climb a tree to get over the wall in the first place. </p><p>It didn't make that much sense to Patton, and as far as he could tell Roman didn't get it either, but regardless, the wedding was definitely off for now. After getting into Avia's walls however, they soon realized they were thrown right into the deep woods.<br/> <br/>Both princes had now disappeared, Patton had hoped to find the other quickly to avoid too much trouble, but he had underestimated the size of the woods. </p><p>"Are we lost?" Emile asked after a while of walking through the deep woods, the sun was starting to set. </p><p>"I.... yeah i think so." Patton sighed, stopping. He turned to Emile, who looked terrified.</p><p>"I'm so sorry about this.... it was a bad idea." </p><p>"Don't worry Patton, you just wanted to see them safe... however, running straight into the woods which has often been referred to as 'the impossible to nevigate woods of despair' perhaps wasn't the best idea.." Emile said, halfheartedly laughing. </p><p>Patton gave him a weak smile, he turned away, looking down at the ground.<em> Now we're lost too... what if Roman and Logan got hurt out here? what if we get hurt out here, oh god....</em></p><p>"Can you imagine what's going to happen when they realize your gone? two princes mysteriously gone in literally like.. the same day? well... apparently prince Roman disappeared last night so..." Emile rambled on, Patton wasn't really listening.</p><p>He was focused on the sounds around him, he could hear a stream nearby, that was good atleast. A few animals chirping about, nothing that sounded dangerous luckily. </p><p>It wasn't until a while later he heard something that caught his attention.</p><p>"Emile... do you hear that?" He said in a whisper. Emile froze, listening. There was rustle nearby, and what sounded like... voices?</p><p>"Voices? oh god, who is it?" Emile whisper-shouted, panicking. Patton looked just as panicked, grabbing the bag and rustling around, trying to find the dagger without accidently stabbing himself with it.</p><p>He pulled it out just as the people came into view. </p><p>"Wow! they have a knifey! haha, i don't think your who we're looking for!" One said, his voice was scratchy and annoying. </p><p>Patton and Emile stared at the two strangers, one was tall and had a mustache, the other an exhausted witch. Patton lowered the dagger slightly, they didn't seem to want to attack them.</p><p>"I think your right about that, we're looking for a prince but not this one..." Remy mumbled, he stepped out, looking Patton and Emile up and down.</p><p>"Why are all the princeys on a run? whatcha doin out here, girl?" </p><p>"O-oh... well... we were trying to find prince Roman..." Patton answered, shrugging. </p><p>"That's what were doing! and his advisor guy, plus my hot new boyfriend's brother or something!" Remus said, grinning. </p><p>"Janus doesn't want anything to do with you, like at all." Remy shook his head, looking down at the floor with a disappointed sigh.</p><p>"The name's Remy, i'm a witch. This is Remus, the Duke of Greenstown." Remy said, looking up again at the two others, who still looked in shock. </p><p>"Y-your looking for Roman and Logan? do you know where they are?!" Patton asked, rushing over to Remy. </p><p>"Somewhere in this woods, but don't worry, i know how to get back to Greenstown from any part of the woodland!" Remus replied, even though Patton clearly wasn't talking to him. </p><p>"Really?" Patton asked, finally turning his attention to the duke.</p><p>"Yeppers! oo, you guys wanna come with us? that would be so much fun!" Remus clapped his hands together like an excited child, grinning at them. </p><p>"Well... if you know how to get out... it's probably a better option than dying out here..." Emile mumbled. </p><p>"Yep, sorry, it's your only chance babes." </p><p>"What does 'babes' mean?"</p><p>"It's a word i invented! it's just what i call people now." Remy shrugged, smirking. </p><p>"Oh... alright." Emile gave him a small smile back. </p><p>"Less flirty more findy! i want to find prince Roman, i've always been a fan of his ya know." Remus said, walking off as to take the lead, the others getting the hint and following him. </p><p>"You like prince Roman?" Patton asked. </p><p>"Ew you make it sound like i <em>like</em> him. Gross! no, i'm very much set on getting the snake guy i found to sleep with me." Remus said proudly. </p><p>"I swear to god-" Remy hissed under his breath, getting a small giggle out of Emile walking next to him. </p><p>"But you know what i like about Roman? his ego is so incredibly fucking <em>large</em>-"</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ngl this and the next couple chapters r kinda crappy because im just trying to get them all together again lel-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Joy Of The Duke</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Remus and the others finally find Roman, Logan and Virgil in the woods and the kings and queens of the two kingdoms finally have a meeting.</p><p>The ending of this chapter isn't great tbh, but i want to just get it out and yeah- i might edit it later, so maybe re-read this chapter when the next one comes out &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"If we're out here for much longer we're going to get eaten by a bear!" Roman groaned, pacing around.</p><p>"Your so whiny, do you ever shut up?" Virgil hissed at him. Roman spun around to him, glaring.</p><p>"Do <em>you?</em>" Roman shot back. Virgil stood up, getting up in his face.</p><p>"Listen here princey-" </p><p>"Shh!" Logan cut him off, shushing the two. </p><p>"I can hear something.." He mumbled, looking around. </p><p>"It's a bear! we're gonna die!" Roman gasped dramatically. </p><p>"If you don't shut up we are!" Virgil whisper-shouted at him. </p><p>"Your not going to die, your so dramatic, dear Roman." They all turned suddenly to see the person the voice belonged too, and were of course greeted by the lovely sight of the duke. </p><p>"<em>You.</em>" Roman spat, glaring at him, "You are that- <em>I</em><em>nsane </em>guy who <em>lied</em> to us!"</p><p>"It's lovely to see you aswell!" Remus said, grinning at him. </p><p>"ROMAN! LOGAN!" Patton rushed forward, pulling the two into a hug. </p><p>"Patton! what are you doing here?!" Roman asked, gasping in surprise. </p><p>"When they told me you had been kidnapped, i knew it wasn't right! surely no one could past all the gaurds and get into your room and kidnap you! plus, take Logan too, for seemingly no reason." Patton explained.</p><p>"No offence Logan." He added.</p><p>"None taken, it is true, it would be illogical for someone to kidnap me." </p><p>"Okay guys, now we've had this little reunion party, can we go back to wherever you have Janus?" Virgil asked, glaring at the duke. </p><p>"Sure thing! what did he say your name was? Virgin? Ooo, i have a lot of questions about him! he won't tell me anything for some reason." Remus said, grabbing Virgil's arm and pulling him along as he walked. </p><p>The others followed, Remus was the only one who knew how to get the hell out of this woods, after all.</p><p>"He's has snakey scales! does he have hemipenes?" Remus asked, almost hopefully. Virgil just stared at him, a mix of confusion and pure disgust on his face.</p><p>"I'm taking that as a yes!"</p><p>"This is going to be a long walk..." Remy mumbled from behind Remus, sighing heavily. </p><p>It definitely felt like forever. It seemed like Remus was leading them to wrong way on purpose, which, maybe he was. </p><p>"How fucking big are these woods?" Virgil groaned, he was tired of listening Remus go on about random insane things.</p><p>"Bigggg!" Remus grinned at him.</p><p>"Ugh." Virgil sighed, he turned his head to look at the tall strange man next to him. Virgil wasn't exactly the tallest person, but he hadn't really had a healthy full diet and been living the life of luxury to help him grow, had he? </p><p>He was urging to ask about the gray streak in his hair, it meant he must be a magicks user, but he didn't seem like one. He hadn't used any magicks. Or maybe that's how he knew how to get around the woods? Power based magicks work in strange ways after all, if thats even the type he had.</p><p>"Your hair." Virgil spluttered out suddenly, without meaning to. Remus turned and looked at him, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"My hair?"</p><p>"The gray streak... your..."</p><p>"A magicks user? yeppers!" Remus grinned, "I know! i could tell your snakey brother was one  because, ya know, scales!" </p><p>"Right...." Virgil sighed, "So... what type are you?" </p><p>"I'm a power based type! butttt i use it for more.... interesting things, usually." Virgil definitely didn't question him further, the look on his face was enough. </p><p>"What about you? i don't see an abnormal features on your scrappy body!" Remus asked. </p><p>"Oh... well... my skin is really pale, i guess?" Virgil shrugged. </p><p>"That's boring!" Remus said, pouting. </p><p>"Says the guy with literally just a gray streak of hair." Virgil mumbled, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"YOU THINK THAT'S ALL?!" Remus' yelling startled the whole group, breaking them out of there individual conversations to look at him. </p><p>"REMUS DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE-" Remy yelled, but before he could finish, Remus was grinning like a madman with huge black tentacles sprouting out of his back, big, black and slimy. </p><p>The others jumped back in shock, letting out surprised and/or disgusted noises. </p><p>"Remus!" Remy hissed. He seemed like a very tired babysitter who had been looking after a kid on a constant sugar high, even though he would rather be doing literally anything else.</p><p>"Most magick users have animal features! so all you got is pale ass skin?" Remus said, turning his attention back to Virgil.</p><p>"Yeah." Virgil said bitterly. </p><p>"BOoooorinGGGG!" </p><p>"Are we almost there yet?" Virgil growled, he was trying really hard not to punch this guy in the face. </p><p>"Sure!" Remus shrugged, like he was making the decision where his town appeared. They walked for a minute longer till they saw a clearing and some light, and suddenly found themselves in a small, surprisingly nice town.</p><p>"Welcome to Greenstown!" Remus said, waving his arms around as if presenting it and grinning. </p><p>"Is that...a statue of <em>you</em>?" Logan questioned, staring blankly at the statue and fountain off to what seemed to be the town centre.</p><p>"Sure is!" </p><p>"And you said Roman had a big ego..." Emile mumbled. </p><p><em>"HE SAID WHAT ABOUT ME!?"</em><br/><br/>"Hey, wait.... Greenstown is in Avia's walls?" Patton asked suddenly, realizing. Remus turned to him, grinning. <br/><br/>"Yeppers! nobody knows i built an entire town here! i'm sneaky like that." He said with a wink. </p><p>"MOVING ON!" Remy said loudly, "Let's just get back to the house so... what was your name again?" He turned to Virgil.</p><p>"Oh... it's Virgil."</p><p>"Your name is Virgil?" Roman asked, looking at him confused.</p><p>"Yeah, i have a name, big surprise! you didn't bother to ask, remember, because i'm, ya know, a criminal?" Virgil said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. </p><p>"So Virgil can see Janus."</p><p>"He told you his name?" Virgil asked, staring at Remy.</p><p>"Yeah, why?"</p><p>"It's just... i'm surprised he trusted you with the information so quickly..." Virgil mumbled, shrugging.</p><p>"COME ON BUTTHOLES I HAVE A HOT SNAKE MAN TO SEDUCE!" Remus yelled, running down the street. </p><p>"Don't you have like... people... who would be asleep right now?" Roman asked Remy, staring at the duke as he ran around like a madman.</p><p>"It's a small town, anyone crazy enough to live here knows what they're getting into." Remy said, smirking. </p><p>--</p><p>Janus wasn't sure if it was a good idea to send Remus off into the woods to find Virgil, he didn't exactly want Remus bringing Virgil's dead body back. </p><p>However, he heard the door he presumed was the front of the house opened. He actually had no idea. He hadn't left that room, he didn't even know if it was a house. </p><p>He hadn't known Remus for long but he didn't seem like the type of person to own a boring old house. Maybe he was in a tower, the only window in the room was too high up for him to see. </p><p>He heard voices, hopefully it was Remus, Remy and Virgil. Except... it sounded like more than three people... well shit.</p><p>
  <em>What if the guards had found where he was hiding!? He was totally dead- oh god Virgil was probably already dead- no no no no-</em>
</p><p>"JANUS!" He didn't even have time to process anything before Virgil had rushed into his arms.</p><p>"V-virgil?" He blinked, making sure he was really there. God, his arms ached but it didn't matter, Virgil was safe, <em>thank god he was safe.</em></p><p>He sat up properly, holding Virgil in his arms. Virgil didn't like hugs usually, or being touched in general, but he trusted Janus, and at that moment, they both needed it.</p><p>"Awe!" Patton cooed from behind them. Janus' head shot up as he realized they were way more than three people there. </p><p>"I can see your having a... sentimental moment, however once the news that two princes and there royal advisors have mysteriously disappeared, Greenstown will be searched once again, and hiding six people is much harder than the simple one." Logan stated, adjusting his glasses.</p><p>"He's got a point... you won't be able to hide all of us from the gaurds when they come searching." Emile added, looking concerned.</p><p>"Relax babes, we have three magicks users and witch here, surely spell wise we can do something?" Remy said.</p><p>"We only have two people who can do spells, and Virgil can't hide himself and five others, and you alone can't hide six people." Janus reminded them. </p><p>"Okay... so we can't hide you. Grreeeat." Remy groaned. They all exchanged a look, they had what could merely be hours to find a way to hide all of them or they were screwed. </p><p>"I HAVE AN IDEA!" Remus yelled suddenly, bursting into the middle of the group.</p><p>"Which is?" Logan asked, almost cautiously, he hadn't spent hardly anytime with Remus but it was enough to know one of his ideas was probably dangerous.</p><p>"We're going to get out of the whole region." </p><p>--</p><p>
  <em>The carriage wheeled into the courtyard of the Deria kingdom castle. Inside, the king and queen of Avia sat, having rushed to the adjoining kingdom's castle. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Inside, the king and queen of Deria stood, waiting impatiently. After the disappearance of there son's, who's wedding was supposed to be in just weeks. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The king and queen of Avia were already annoyed at there outing being disrupted, amongst there worry for their son. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Welcome, King Charles and Queen Amethyst." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you." They nodded to eachother, wishing the subject of there meeting wasn't so grim. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The guards from both of our respective kingdoms have begun there search across the nearest kingdoms, towns and villages, researching places they checked before aswell, along with a group searching the woods. They are also looking for the criminal who escaped, along with continuing the search for the one who escaped originally." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Any progress will be returned to us as soon as possible, hopefully our sons will be returned home shortly."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Am i correct in believing that both of the prince's royal advisors are also missing?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, it seems so, a strange addition to it all. Neither Mr. Sinclair nor Mr. Picani have been seen, so we are to assume they were also caught up in whatever took place."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Have you considered that they might of ran away? neither of them wanted to get married, after all."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My son would never!" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Queen Delilah, please calm down. It was simply a suggestion, i apologize if i offended you."<br/><br/>"Perhaps it has something to do with the two criminals who escaped. After all, the deadly duo is known for unattainable. Yet my guards informed me there escaped seemed messy. One escaped a night before and the other escaped with the help of two unknown figures." <br/><br/>"Interesting. So there is a chance the two criminals have a part in this?"<br/><br/>"Indeed. However, if they were the ones who took our sons, it still does not make sense why. We have received nothing on a ransom, and surely the two thieves would want money."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"This is not getting us anywhere, how do we proceed?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We can only wait. There isn't any other course of action, the guards will search the entire region if needed, and if they can not find them still, we may have a hard truth to accept." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm sure it won't come to that point, my dear." </em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>"Indeed, after all, if the criminals or someone else took them, no one is both crazed and intelligent enough to get away with it."</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>"no one is both crazed and intelligent enough to get away with it."</p><p>Remus: hI YOu CaLLEd??</p><p>Also virgil and janus soft sibling bonding moments fr the cutest shit-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. To Go Or Not To Go</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Will they go or will they stay?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>"That is completely insane. No way." Roman said, glaring at Remus.</p><p>"You guys are so BORING! don't you want to know what it's like to fuck someone on a BOAT?!" Remus cried out, waving his arms about.</p><p>"No. No one wants to know that." Janus hissed. </p><p>"You'll give in eventually. In the meantime, you wanna go moody-ass?" Remus said to Virgil, winking. </p><p>"Ew." Virgil said with a disgusted face, recoiling even further away from Remus.</p><p>"I <em>will</em> slit your throat." Janus said with a glare.</p><p>"Alrighty! remember, i'm always open to a threeway-"</p><p>"ANYWAYS!" Remy said loudly, clearing his throat, "Remus, you know i love you and all, but that is a completely insane idea." </p><p>"Buutttt reeemmyy..." Remus whined, pouting. </p><p>"You can't expect these people who barely know us to take your crazy idea to escape across one of the biggest regions in the world with two widely known criminals and princes." Remy deadpanned. </p><p>"It's unsettling enough just being in your death trap of a house." Roman added, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"Yeah... i mean, Roman just wanted to reunite these two and get them out of danger. So... can't you just take them?" Patton asked. </p><p>"Okay. Listen, i know your parents, probably better than you two do since in your perfect little royal lives you've had the wool pulled over your eyes," Remus started, sounding serious for once, "They are ruthless. They will not only hunt Virgil and Janus down till they find them and immediately kill them, they will stop at nothing to get the truth out of you, and once they found out both Logan and Emile are good as gone, and they'll be hunting me and Remy down too." </p><p>They all stared at him. </p><p>"How... how do you know that? s-surely that wouldn't happen?" Patton asked with a stutter, pure terror on his face. </p><p>"I may not be much older than you lot but i've seen a lot. They aren't good people. It's kill kill kill. Trust me on this one. All of us are goners if you go back now." Remus said, he looked... slightly sad?</p><p>"Remus..?" Remy approached him, he didn't seem to know what was going on either. </p><p>"I... i don't want to go in details, but when i say i've seen it, i mean i've seen it." Remus said, looking up at all of them. </p><p>"So. We either go, or we die. What's your choice?" </p><p>They all stared at him once again, speechless. The kingdoms, Avia and Deria, weren't the biggest and most well-known kingdoms for no reason. Especially the kingdom of Avia.</p><p>Wealthy people inhabited them, peasants and street life non-existent.  Any low life of any sort was killed immediately. </p><p>Roman felt like he had been punched in the stomach when he realized who his parents actually were. He had always known they weren't the kindest of people, but they always seemed just... stressed out, perhaps? That's what he told himself anyways. They.. they were nice to him, because they always gave him what he wanted... although they were never around. </p><p>"You guys should go." He said, finally breaking the silence. Everyone turned their heads to look at him immediately.</p><p>"All of you.. except for me and Patton. Then.. you won't get hurt." He said, giving them a weak smile.</p><p>"W-we - we can't just let them go with these guys! they- they might not make it! what happens then?!" Patton said to him, desperation in his voice.</p><p>"What choice do we have?! Look, let's just go back, get married to shut up our parents... and just... deal with it." Roman mumbled, crossing his arms to hold himself.</p><p>Patton looked at him sadly, he... he had been planning on going back... but with Roman, Emile and Logan... and without any trouble... but that clearly wasn't going to happen. </p><p>"We don't have much time. Are you coming or staying?" Remus said. </p><p>"Your going to go?" Patton asked in disbelief. </p><p>"Yeah. No matter if you four are coming or not, me and Remy are getting these two of out here." Remus said, gesturing towards Virgil and Janus. </p><p>"Your really going to help us out?" Virgil asked, staring at him.</p><p>"It's... going to be a struggle with Janus still being injured, but you two don't deserve to die." Remy said with a sigh.</p><p>"Well?" Remus turned to the other four, who were all huddled together on the other side of the dinky room. </p><p>"Our options are... stay and me and Logan possibly die, or we go on a crazy trip to get across the region with the four highly recognizable people we have with us and still possibly die." Emile said, frowning, it sounded like a lose-lose situation. Great.</p><p>"Trust me, the insane trip across the region with two princes and two criminals is less dangerous than your parents." Remus spat, practically growling.</p><p>"How can we know to trust you? From what we have seen, you are not exactly a stable indivual." Logan saying, looking at him questioningly. </p><p>"Don't personality shame smart-ass! besides, i'm literally risking my life for you guys right now, is that not trust worthy enough?" Remus said with fake offence, mocking Roman's voice. </p><p>"I... i don't think its a good idea guys." Patton said, sighing. </p><p>"Fine. Remy, let's get some supplies, come on twig boy, your stick-thin but you can atleast try to help." Remus said, sticking his tongue out at Virgil.</p><p>"Wow, thanks." Virgil said sarcastically, following Remy and Remus out of the room. </p><p>"Hey Roman." Janus said to the prince. </p><p>"Huh?" Roman turned to him, he only then really noticed how badly injured Janus was. He cringed, with a mental yikes.</p><p>"Did you really get Virgil out of there?" </p><p>"Oh... yeah, well.. sort of. I was planning on just.. letting him escape, but then... it went a little... wrong." Roman said, laughing sheepishly.</p><p>"What do you mean?" Janus asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"To get into the dungeons in the first place, Roman had to change into somehow more dull, so his thick as a brick guards wouldn't recognise him," Logan said, Roman stared at him, did Logan just say... <em>thick as a brick-?</em> "And without his princely outfit and in the dark, the guards did not recognise him, and they caught us so we had to run." </p><p>"I see... well, thank you for getting him out safely, and for all you have done for us so far." Janus said, smiling at them a little. </p><p>"For two criminals who are known for being escape artist masters and cut throat bastards you two are surprisingly... human." Roman said, "Which is ironic since your literally half snake or something." </p><p>"Ah yes, actually, i was hoping to ask about that, are you half snake or do you just have the scales? i was wondering-" Janus sighed as Logan came over to him, asking a million questions Janus didn't even catch. </p><p>--</p><p>"We just have to get out of the walls, there's a town down there near the water, and we can steal a boat." </p><p>"Have you guys thought about.. not stealing it? your a duke, don't you have like... money?" Virgil said to them, confused.</p><p>"Well i do! but stealing is more fun!" Remus said with a grin. </p><p>"Speaking of your town, are you sure you should... just like... abandon it?" </p><p>"Don't be silly virgin! i'm not abandoning it. Besides, i've got off for long long periods of time before! the townspeople don't really care. What kind of people do you think live here, dumb butt?" Remus said, giggling. </p><p>"Dumb, dumb people." Virgil mumbled to himself.</p><p>"So, you have enough supplies for four people?" </p><p>"Sure do! i've got enough supplies for eight people." Remus said, bouncing across his house and he led Virgil.. somewhere. </p><p>"Eight? but... the others aren't coming?" </p><p>"Oh silly silly virgin, the most emotional guy i've ever met, the magicks fascinated nerd, the desperate to be a noble hero prince and the baby who will follow any orders hes given aren't going to come? sure." Remus said, laughing and rolling his eyes.</p><p>"I mean... i don't think they will. Why would they risk it just for us? well.. i guess they might be saving themselves, but they don't even have to believe what you said. I don't even know why you're helping us." Virgil said with a shrug.</p><p>"He wants to get into Janus' pants, for a start." Remy said under his breath. </p><p>"True!" Remus said, giggling again, "But also, i love a good runaway across the region while having to hide and steal! it's my favorite hobby!" </p><p>Virgil didn't even question that. </p><p>"Come on, i have lots of food, water, spare clothes, all that good stuff. Although, i'll warn you, i have interesting taste! in food and clothes!" Remus said, grinning at Virgil. </p><p>"Greattt." Virgil said with a grimace. </p><p>--</p><p>After leaving the small room to give Janus some space, the other four were still quiet. None of them were sure they had might the right decision to stay. </p><p>Finally, the silence and tension between them was broken. </p><p>"We have to go with them." Emile seemed unsure of himself immediately after saying it, he wasn't used to speaking up. </p><p>"What?" Patton stared at him in shock. </p><p>"Patton i've heard you cry at night over being forced to marry Roman, you really can't stand the idea of it. And you absoulutely do not want to risk Logan and i's lives." Emile said, as firmly as he could muster. </p><p>Patton looked down sadly, it was true, but he was so so very scared of leaving. </p><p>"This is a life changing decision. If we go, we cannot return." Logan said, holding eye contact with Emile, who quickly looked away. </p><p>"I- i know... but if we don't... if what Remus said is true, we could die, and Patton and Roman will forever be stuck in a miserable marriage, having lost there closest friends.... this is a chance for us all to get away, it's hard to leave it behind but it'll be harder if the worst happens by us going back." </p><p>"He has a point..." Roman said, being sighing and biting his lip. </p><p>"I- i'm sure i can convince my parents not to hurt you two! and- and..." Patton stopped, he knew he couldn't find a way out of the marriage, both he and Roman had tried many times and it only ever made things worse. </p><p>"Life gave us this chance. We should take it." </p><p>"..."</p><p>"Okay."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i had to rewrite this entire chapter just yesterday send help</p><p>oKAY! finally all that biz is over with, and they can actually get to adventuring and stuff! can you guys maybe leave some kingdom/town/village names and such ? or interesting places they could go? tHank you &lt;3 </p><p>also the ships haven't even begun yet this is new for me- xD (unless you see Virgil and Janus as a ship in this, which, you can if you want. There not together but your allowed to think whatever man)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Grab The Supplies, And Your Boyfriend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The eight of them are getting prepared to go off into.... somewhere! </p><p>Also, Janus is still injured, poor baby.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Virgil, Remy and Remus were halfway through grabbing supplies when Roman, Logan, Patton and Emile walked in, looking sheepish. </p><p>Virgil looked up at Remus in disbelief, had he been correct, were they really gonna come? <br/>
"Change your mind, buttholes?" Remus asked with a grin.</p><p>"Well, calling us <em>buttholes</em> certainly isn't making us sure of our choice to come." Roman scoffed. </p><p>"Great! now help us finish gathering the supplies, we need to get out of here soon. Anddd also, Remy's gotta heal Jan-jan again before he can even think about getting out of here." Remus said, throwing some bags there way. </p><p>"Oh right, i'll go do that now. I won't be able to heal him fully, but it'll help. We still gotta let some of the healing happen naturally or it will mess with his system." Remy explained, putting down the bag he was holding. </p><p>He walked out of the room, grabbing his staff on the way, and headed up to the room Janus was in.</p><p>Virgil watched him as he left, clearing not trusting him, but Remy had healed him once already, and Janus had already been there a while and nothing bad had happened... but still.</p><p>"Quick sticks people! we have guards to outrun!" Remus said with a cheer, grinning at them widely as they stared at him. </p><p>--</p><p>"That was weird." Janus mumbled after Remy had finished healing him.</p><p>"Hah. Yeah, i imagine it is." Remy said with a laugh, "I've never done it on myself, but god i've had to heal Remus a lot of times, the buffoon gets himself into all kinds of shit." </p><p>"Yeah, i feel better though, thank you." </p><p>"No problem."</p><p>"Actually... speaking of Remus, can i ask you something?" Janus said, sitting up. He could finally do so without horrific pain. </p><p>"I know he's a trashy weirdo, but trust me he's not that bad once you get to know him." Remy said with a sigh.</p><p>"Yeah, that's what i wanted to ask, why on earth did you stick around him long enough to get to know him?" </p><p>Remy snorted at this, "Ahh... well, you see, i didn't at first. He stuck around me, however. But then, he came to me one day and he was just..." Remy suddenly stopped, his expression turning sad, "He looked so... broken." </p><p>"I never found out what happened but in that time he needed someone... and i was honestly all he had." </p><p>"So... i was there for him, and even when he turned back to his usual crazed self, i knew what was underneath it, not just sadness, but a real person." </p><p>Janus stared at him, he definitely hadn't been expecting that. Remus, sad? the thought would of been laughable just minutes ago but the way Remy said it...</p><p>"I know, it's hard to believe. But really... he is human, just like us." Remy said, smiling at him sadly. </p><p>Janus only nodded, he couldn't find any words in that moment. Luckily, he didn't have to, as the one in question came bouncing into the room like a chicken that was high. </p><p>"We're reeeaddyyy!" He chirped. </p><p>"Alright, you ready for an adventure?" Remy said to no one in particular, smirk crawling onto his face. </p><p>"Sure, if i can get up." Janus mumbled, rolling his eyes. </p><p>"I'll help ya snakey!" Remus said, practically skipping over. </p><p>"Nope. Don't touch me." Janus said, then sighed, managing to get up himself. He almost fell forward from the pure shock his legs were experiencing after not moving for days, but he stayed upright. </p><p>"Don't be stubborn, your gonna fall on that pretty face of yours!"</p><p>"Don't you dare touch m-" Janus protested, but Remus payed no attention. However, instead of just trying to help him walk, he literally grabbed Janus and pulled him in a bridal style hold.</p><p>"Wha-put me down!" Janus hissed at him. </p><p>"Awe, your so cute!" Remus said patronizingly, not bothered in the slightest and he carried the very unhappy Janus out of the room, a laughing Remy following behind. </p><p>He carried Janus all the way into the room where the others were finishing up, despite the unholy hissing and protests coming from the other. </p><p>"What the hell-" Virgil said, referring to the noise, but froze on the spot upon seeing the sight before him. The others kept gazing from him to Janus, wondering what his reaction would be. The two were very... closed off. They definitely didn't like people getting to close, or touching them. <br/>
<br/>
However, unexpectedly, Virgil just.. burst out laughing. </p><p>"Holy shit-" He choked out, almost doubling over with laughter. </p><p>"You good there kiddo?" Patton asked, genuinely concerned. Virgil didn't seem like the type of person to laugh... ever. <br/>
<br/>
"Awe baby jan-jan needs ReRe to carry himmm?" </p><p>"Remus! put me down!" Remus completely ignored Janus' demand once again, instead watching the others laugh at the sight, especially Virgil, with a grin on his face.<br/>
<br/>
"Just kidding Janus, chill out. Your injured, and after not moving for days, your going to have to get used to walking again anyways." Virgil said, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye. Janus didn't say anything, but atleast looked slightly happier now they had stopped laughing at him. Didn't stop him complaining to Remus to put him down, though.</p><p>"Alright, you guys ready?" Remy said, coming in behind them with a smirk. </p><p>They were, so they gathered up the supplies and headed out of Remus' strange house. </p><p>It looked like multiple completely different house designs squished together, which according to Remus, was what is was. </p><p>It had about four chimneys, different shaped windows, one part of the house was a small tower. </p><p>Once outside, Remus finally put Janus down. He wanted to run away from the creepy duke, but he could barely even walk. </p><p>It was definitely slowing them down, so despite Janus' even louder and more angry protests, Remus scooped him up again and they made there way out of Greenstown. </p><p>--</p><p>"Alright, search the town. I'm going to go talk to the insane duke who runs this place." The guard  incharge of the search said, sighing. </p><p>The others nodded, splitting off the search the town. The head guard shook his head, mumbling to himself as he headed to the duke's 'house'.</p><p>He had been with a group to search Greenstown before, and it was an.. interesting experience. Okay. He hated it.<br/>
<br/>
The king and queen of Avia hadn't been to happy to find a random town in their walls either, but since they were caught up in other things, were yet to do anything about it. </p><p>Talking to the duke was the last thing he wanted to do, but alas, he had a job to get done. So, reluctantly, he knocked on the front door. </p><p>He waited for a moment, expecting the tall man to appear and yell something in his face, but nothing happened.</p><p>Confused, he knocked again. Nothing. Growing angry, he knocked again harder.</p><p>"Duke! open up!" He growled, but still nothing. Giving up, he left to find the rest of his search group. <br/>
None of them found anything, so the head guard asked the townspeople if they had seen anything, or if they had seen the duke.</p><p>But got a no from all of them, they hadn't seen anything and they hadn't seen the duke either.</p><p>Frustrated, the head guard took his group, heading back to the castle. He hoped to hear one of the other search groups had found something, but no news had been returned.</p><p>"It seems, your majesties, that we will have to expand our search further."</p><p>The king and queen frowned upon the news, it was hard enough keeping the kingdom's people at bay with all there questions, but if they princes were gone even longer, it was going to get worse.</p><p>"Perhaps across the whole region, whatever it was, it has led them further away than we thought. What course of action should we take?"</p><p>"Send out the groups further, i don't care how far you have to go. Find my son, and kill whoever is responsible." </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Janus: *unholy screeching intensifies*</p><p>This and the next chapter are both short, sorry, however, the chapter after will be longer! (hopefully...)</p><p>THIS IS THE END OF ALL THE DRAGGING OUT! I PROMISE! rip</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Cotton Dawn Village</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The group go to the village outside of Avia, and meet some cute kids!</p><p>this is just a short fluff chapter- TAKE YOUR FLUFF CHAPTER! NEXT ONE IS SUPER LONG AND I TRIED TO WRITE ACTION SO- YEAH!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first place Remus lead them to was Cotton Dawn village. Not too far outside the kingdom the quaint little village was far to nice to steal from.</p><p>That hit them as soon as they entered the village and were greeted by the sight of children running around and playing with flowercrowns on their heads as the adults watched them calmly, having their own conversations.</p><p>Small houses surrounded them, a perfect view of the water, calming nature sounds. It was almost surreal how pleasant this place was.</p><p>Despite having multiple people who, morally, didn't give a crap, they were all drawn in by the sweet sounds and pretty scenery. </p><p>"Hewo! do you want to play with us?" One of the children, a young girl with raven hair asked, coming over to them. </p><p>"Awe, sorry sweetie, we have things to do." Emile said, bending down to her level with a smile. </p><p>She pouted, "Really? are you sure you can't even play for a little bit? we don't get many new people! we can even make you a flower crown!" She offered, holding up her basket of flowers. </p><p>Emile turned back to the others with a look of, '<em>how are we supposed to say no to that?</em>' </p><p>And so, they ended up getting very sidetracked as they were all roped into playing whatever game the children had going on. </p><p>"We have to defeat the dragon witch! she's come to steal all the flowers!" One little boy gasped suddenly, pulling out a stick. </p><p>"I'll defeat her, i'm a brave warrior!" Another little girl said, pulling out an even bigger stick and charged ahead at nothing. </p><p>"You have to help me!" She said to Roman, pulling him into it. </p><p>"Yeah! you guys have to help to!" The little boy said, pulling both Patton and Logan in. </p><p>"May i ask, is this dragon witch invisible?" Logan questioned. </p><p>"She is! that's why it's so hard to defeat her!" The girl said, swinging her stick around. </p><p>"I see. Perhaps we should instead, waiting for her to blow her dragon fire breath, so we can see where she is." Patton stared at him, Logan didn't seem like the type of person to go along with children's game. </p><p>But even he was human, and these children were adorable. </p><p>"Your so smart! we have to get her to breath fire!" The little boy gasped. </p><p>"I know! let's take her dragon's egg!" Roman cried out, dramatically striking a pose. </p><p>"Yes yes!" The little girl jumped up at the idea, grinning. </p><p>"Right then, we better start our search for this dragon egg, do you think we should get some more help?" Patton said with a smirk, turning to the un-preoccupied Remy standing behind them. </p><p>"Uh-" Before he could object, he was being pulled along by two children, off for their search for the dragon egg. </p><p>Meanwhile, Virgil, Remus and Janus had been dragged to the ground while the raven haired girl made them flowercrowns. </p><p>"Here you go!" She said, presenting Remus with her first flowercrown, made of daisies. </p><p>He looked at it for a moment, before bowing his head down so she could place it on top. </p><p>He glanced up, and almost starting actually crying. </p><p>"What's wrong?" She asked, suddenly worried. </p><p>"Nothing... nothing, it's just, well, nobody does nice things like this for me..." Remus mumbled. </p><p>She quickly gave him a hug, which only made him want to cry more. </p><p>"This is weird to see.." Janus mumbled to Virgil sat next to him, who held back a laugh. </p><p>"I think everyone should be nice to everyone!" The girl said, beaming at them. </p><p>"What's your favourite colour?" She asked Janus, turning to him.</p><p>"Oh, yellow."</p><p>"I don't have any yellow flowers.. is another daisy crown okay?" She asked Janus. </p><p>"Oh... uhm, sure, i guess.." Janus said with a shrug, this whole situation was... very weird, but nice. </p><p>She nodded and smiled as she got to work on another flower crown. Remus turned to them, a genuine smile on his face. </p><p>"We really shouldn't have stopped here you know, the guards are going to get here fast." Remus said with a sigh, he knew none of them wanted to rush off. </p><p>"Your right... Virgil, go find the others, we can't be searching for them for hours." Janus said to the man sat next to him. </p><p>Virgil got up and went off to find Logan, Patton, Emile and Remy, while the little girl finished her other flower crown. </p><p>"Here you go!" She said, going over to place it on Janus' head. He had to admit, Remus getting teary eyed wasn't that far fetched, he felt emotional too. No one was ever just... nice to him like that.</p><p>"Thank you." He said, smiling at her. She beamed back. </p><p>"What's your friend's favorite colour?" She asked, going back over to her basket. </p><p>"Oh, it's purple." </p><p>"Oo! i have purple flowers!" She squealed, pulling out the purple flowers from her basket. </p><p>"He'll love it, i'm sure." </p><p>Once Virgil had returned with the others, received his flower crown, all of the others having gotten one single flower to keep, and they were off.</p><p>They hugged the children and said goodbye, and then headed for the dock. They only had a small boat, but they only had to get to the next kingdom, Daelya, where they could get a bigger one, one they could use to travel all over. </p><p>"Ready?" Remus asked once everyone was onboard the boat, and once he got the nodding response, he untied the boat. He waved to the guy at the dock, who they had paid for the boat, they couldn't steal it, not even Remus could do that after meeting those adorable kiddos.</p><p>Anyways, off they were! </p><p>"Nice flower crown Virgil." Roman scoffed.</p><p>"Your just jealous, princey." </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks to Aislinn_faerie (hope thats right) for the town/kingdom/village names! &lt;3|</p><p>quick note: so, like, someone pointed out my grammar isn't great, and i'm sorry about that. I'm not sure exactly, but i think i have like ADHD or something because honestly i have problems with grammar sometimes and theres times i'll just completely write the whole wrong word- don't feel bad about pointing it out! i'll definitely go back and fix it! sorry it's not great. And also i know i switch between american spellings and the british ones, lel, i'm british but sometimes i just write things in the american spelling- so yEah-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Kingdom Of Daelya</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The group make it to the kingdom of Daelya where they steal a boat.</p><p>And Remus is having the time of his life!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>So, Logan, how long have you worked for Roman?" Patton asked absentmindedly, they were stuck on a boat for a few hours, might aswell have a nice chat. </p><p>"Four years." Logan answered, he wasn't one for... <em>chitter chatter.</em></p><p>"You guys are pretty close, huh?" </p><p>"I suppose. May i ask, why are you asking me these questions?" Logan questioned, raising an eyebrow at the prince. </p><p>Patton blinked in surprise, straightening up from his slouched position. </p><p>"Just.. casual conversation? i don't know, everyone else is already talking to each other." He said, shrugging. Next to them, Roman was going on about something to bored looking Janus and Virgil, while Remy and Emile were talking and Remus was... talking to himself? </p><p>"I see...." Logan adjusted his tie,<em> i suppose i should engage in this useless back and forth</em>, "how long has Emile worked for you?" Logan asked. </p><p>"Oh! five years. He's my best friend!" Patton said with a smile. Logan nodded, he supposed he was Roman's best friend too. That was weird to think about. </p><p>"It's a little difficult when you don't get to see anyone else... i mean, i have Roman of course, and he's a wonderful friend! but as you know, as princes, we don't really get to interact with many people." Patton said, his smile turning sad. </p><p>"Do you enjoy interacting with people?" </p><p>"I do! i love people! I mean... now i have eight people around me constantly.. it's... a lot, but it's nice, i don't feel alone atleast..." Patton shrugged.</p><p>"Atleast?" </p><p>"Well... i'm feeling a little homesick. Honestly, i'm scared of what might happen if this goes wrong... but..." Patton glanced over at Virgil and Janus, "I didn't want any innocent lives lost..." </p><p>"Hm, i see. Well, to be fair, they aren't exactly completely innocent." Logan said, he glanced at them, they looked bored, but there body language was still very closed off. </p><p>"What? oh right.... the deadly duo... do you know what they actually did?"</p><p>"I do not know all of their crimes. I know they have theived a lot, and injured some people, but nothing death worthy." Logan said, still watching the two. Both had noticed him looking and sent double death stares back. Definitely still closed off. </p><p>"I wonder what happened to them to make them become criminals in the first place..." Patton muttered, also looking over at them.</p><p>"I suppose we might find out. We will be spending.. more time than i'd like together, but we will most likely find out a lot about eachother." Logan said with a sigh.</p><p>"Your right! we just have to build up trust with them!" Patton said, suddenly beaming.</p><p>"That's not-" </p><p>"Thanks Logan!" Patton said, giving him a quick side hug before moving to the other side of Virgil and Janus, trying to start up a conversation.</p><p>However, he had even less luck with them than with Logan, which was saying a lot. </p><p>Meanwhile, Emile was talking to Remy.</p><p>"So, what's it like being a witch?" He had asked.</p><p>"I mean, doin spells is fun." Remy shrugged. </p><p>"I bet! were you born one, or taught?" </p><p>"Born. Neither of my parents are witches, caught em off guard a little." Remy snickered. </p><p>"That would be scary!" Emile laughed. Remy laughed too, rolling his eyes. Just then, a gust of wind flew by, almost knocking Remy's hat off his head.</p><p>"God, i swear to god if i lose my hat..." Remy mumbled, he had his hand on it to stop it falling off, but decided instead just to take it off and hold it. </p><p>"You... have hat hair." Emile said, holding back his laughter at the sight. Remy immediately blushed and went to pat it down. </p><p>"It feels weird, i never take this thing off..." Remy mumbled. </p><p>"Really? is it important to you?" </p><p>"Yeah...." </p><p>"Oh, i see. Well, i'll keep an extra eye on it just to make sure it stays safe!" Emile said, smiling at him.</p><p>"Thanks." Remy smiled back, the nice moment was promptly ruined however by Remus' screeching.</p><p>"Look! in the distance, you can see Daelya!" He said it like he was a pirate, running to the front of the small boat. </p><p>"That's so far still, ugh!" Virgil groaned. </p><p>"Well, i did warn you! if your that bored, we can-"</p><p>"No. Shut up. whatever you were saying, stop."</p><p>"Fine! your losss~!" </p><p>--</p><p>First things first, get onto the docks without the guards noticing the criminals and princes you have with you.... got it. </p><p>"How do we do this?" Remy asked Remus as they edged closer to Daelya. </p><p>"Hmm, how long are your appearance changing spells?" Remus asked. </p><p>"... Only long enough if were quick." Remy answered, immediately catching onto to what Remus was suggesting.</p><p>"Especially if i'm doing four." He added. Remus broke out into a grin, scheme has been made!</p><p>"Alright, listen, this is going to feel weird." Remy sighed, turning to the others. </p><p>"Scoot." He said to Logan and Emile, eyes squinting. The two moved away quickly, and Remy took a deep breath, holding out his staff. </p><p>"Hold on, what are you doing agai-" Before Roman could finish his question, the four of them were surrounded by the grey swirling essence and strange sensation. </p><p>"Hurry up, were almost in view of the guards!" Remus called out to Remy, who would of yelled back, but he was concentrating, thank you very much. </p><p>Before their eyes, (well, the magic was blocking their view a little) all four of there looks changed. </p><p>Roman's hair turned dark brown, eyes matching, skin paler, and nose longer. and freckles covered his face. </p><p>Patton's blonde hair turned even brighter and lighter, eyes turning hazel, his freckles disappearing and being replaced by a scar across his eye. </p><p>Virgil's hair turned bright purple, his skin less pale, and eyes matching his hair, plus, a little button nose, just to annoy him.</p><p>Janus's golden hair changed to a plain mousy brown, his eyes, now both normal, were pale blue, and his scales were gone. </p><p>"Wow... i can't even tell it's them...." Emile whispered in awe. </p><p>"That's the point babes." Remy said to him, rolling his eyes with a smile.</p><p>"Is my hair <em>purple</em>?!" </p><p>"Sh Virgin! we're almost at the docks!" Remus shushed him loudly, actually spitting out, much to the other's disgust. </p><p>The boat gently drifted into the docks, the guards standing by immediately coming over.</p><p>"State your business here." One demanded, scanning the group over. </p><p>"We're exploring the region!" Remus chriped, "We don't have any weapons." He added, his expression was a normal smile, something none of them had seen before, apart from Remy.</p><p>"I see. Sorry for the harsh introduction, we just have to check you don't have anything, then your welcoming to come in." The guard said, offering Remus a hand.</p><p>He took it, thanking the guard. There were a lot of weird and unsettling things about Remus, but his ability to change his persona and become someone else instantly was very high up on the list. It's freaky to watch someones whole personality melt away and change before your eyes.</p><p>The others got off, and the guard, along with anothers help, checked the boat. </p><p>"Your all good! we'll keep your boat safe while your here." The guard said, nodding to them.</p><p>The docks were big, fully in swing, importing and exporting goods from other kingdoms as they made there way across to get to the kingdoms entrance.</p><p>"There." Remus whispered to the group, pointing to one of Daelya's ships. </p><p>"It's huge!" Roman whisper-shouted. </p><p>"Exactly. Plenty of space."</p><p>"Alright, so what should we do?" </p><p>"We'll go in, act natural, we should probably pick some stuff up here actually, weapons would be helpful. Then, distraction, and we steal the boat!" Remus grinned, his own self coming back. </p><p>"What kind of distraction are you thinking?" Janus asked, eyebrow raised.</p><p>"Fire. Lots of fire." Remus said, you could practically see the insanity in his eyes. He had taken exactly two minutes to come up with a plan, disguise, BURN, escape. Perfect!</p><p>"Fire?!" </p><p>"Don't worry, remember, me and Janus' magic isn't ongoing. We can make it so It'll distract them, but it'll disappear and all damage will be repaired!" </p><p>"Still, that's mean! there going to be so panicked!" Patton said, this sounded like a bad idea to him. A very bad idea.</p><p>"Stop being such a goody good boy Patty! it'll be funnn!" Remus said, bouncing his shoulders up and down. <br/><br/>"While you guys are doing that, i'm going to use a distraction spell on the guards, grab our supplies and get them over to the ship. But i'll need your distraction and also your help to get them on, so, be quick." Remy said, pulling out his staff with a smirk.<br/><br/>"This sounds like a very badly thought out plan." Logan said, frowning.</p><p>"We've come this far, why stop the chaos now?" Virgil said sarcastically.  </p><p>"Exactly! come on, let's go!" Remus said, running off. </p><p>They got into the walls of the kingdom, and directly walked into a market. There was lots of people about, and lots of stalls too. </p><p>"Okay. Listen. Half of you are basically children, so no running off." Remy said firmly, glaring at them all. It seemed like after dealing with Remus so long, he had devoloped a second side of a mother like character to keep him in check.</p><p>"We need to find a stall that sells daggers or something, and also... convince them to sell to a bunch of clowns." He said, sighing. </p><p>"They probably won't sell to me. Even though witches are allowed here, there's still a lot of people who don't like em." Remy mumbled, he could see all the people glancing at him as they walked past.</p><p>"I'm the oldest! let me buy them, let meee!" Remus said, whining and begging the other like a child.</p><p>"No. Logan, you... look like an adult. You and Roman go do that, come find us back here, while we figure out how to start a damn fire without anyone noticing." </p><p>"Uh, money?" Roman asked, raising an eyebrow. Remus casually threw a bag over to him, which Roman stared at, that was the second time Remus pulled a bag of money out of nowhere, what-?</p><p>"So, what are we going to burn?"</p><p>--</p><p>"Thank you, sir." Logan nodded to the blacksmith, taking the daggers. </p><p>"Wow, these are well made." Roman said, taking one and inspecting it.</p><p>"Yes. Now, let's get back to the others." </p><p>They made their way back, where Remus was fidgeting like crazy, like he was itching to cause some chaos.</p><p>The others were standing around, trying to look natural while they waited. </p><p>"Got em!" Roman informed them. </p><p>"Great. Okay.. time to put the plan in action." Remy said, nodding to Remus and Janus.</p><p>"This is so stupid." Janus mumbled, following Remus to the tower in the middle of the market they had decided would be good. It was big and visible, and no one was inside. </p><p>There own magic couldn't harm them, either. So, when no one looking, they sneaked into the tower.</p><p>"I can't believe this is your plan, set a tower on fire with magic fire, while everyone watches it burn in panic, we steal a boat." Janus mumbled, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"Well snakey, i wanted to murder their queen and put her head on a stick in the kingdom's centre, but no one else seemed to like that idea!"</p><p>"Sh Remus. Let's just get this over with, i've been standing for what feels like hours and it hurts." Janus groaned. </p><p>Remus grinned at him, pulling up his hand and focusing on it till a small bundle of flames appeared in it. </p><p>"Burn time!" He whisper-shouted, putting his hand to the wall. Janus did the same, causing both the walls they touched to set aflame. </p><p>"And, that's our que to go!" They rushed back out, hoping no one would notice them. </p><p>"Fire!" A woman cried out, causing the people around to look. It spread out, burning flames visible all around. </p><p>People started to move back, it was a good job people were distracted, as Remus' face was pure excitement and pride of what they had just done. </p><p>They could hear all the cries and gasps of everyone as they sprinted back to the group. </p><p>"Your plan was to set a whole tower on fire?!" No one had told Patton what <em>exactly</em> they were doing, he seemed to be very concerned about the how moral side of this whole situation, so they just, ya know, left out a few details....</p><p>"Sh Patty! look at it in all of it's<em> glory</em>!"</p><p>"We gotta go!" Remy called out, pulling Remus' arm. They headed for the gates, and at that point, they weren't the only ones, as other people had gone to inform the guards of the fire.</p><p>"The tower is on fire!" The guards quickly went to see what was going on. A few people were around, but no one cared about them, so they made a run for it. </p><p>Remus glanced behind him as they were running, the fire was spreading, <em>perfect chaos</em>!</p><p>He grinned to himself, they started a huge fire! everyone was running and screaming! He wished they had gone with one of his more... creative ideas, but nonetheless, flames! lots of them! </p><p>Finally, they made it to the boat they had their eye on before, it was one of Daelya's ships, meant for higher people to take trips across the seas. </p><p>Well, now it was their ship. He jumped onboard, yelling about how much fun he was having, until he realized something. The fire was starting to fade.</p><p>Their magic was fading! The guards were going to realize it was magicks fire pretty quickly, even if there were bucketheads. </p><p>"Shit! the fire's fading out, we didn't make it last long enough! quick sticks buttholes!" </p><p>Some guards were wondering back to the gates, confused and looking around, the people had calmed down as the fire started to calm, but normal fire didn't just disappear. <br/><br/>Panic was flooding them as they tried to get themselves together, well, apart from Remus, he was still having a jolly old time.</p><p>"Good job for you idiots that i know how to sail a ship! let's get going before they come for our heads! we already have two whole kingdoms out for our blood!" Remus giggled, bouncing over to the ship wheel.</p><p>"How do you know so many different things?! you know what, later, not now, we gotta go!" Roman said, glancing at the guards that were about to see them. </p><p>The guards had finally noticed them, and after a moment of confused dawdling, they realized what was happening. However, it was too late as the boat start to move away. </p><p>"And that, my friends, is how you make an impression!" Remus said with a grin to the others, who all stared at him, exhausted from running and still in slight shock from it all.</p><p>"Your fucking insane." Janus said breathlessly, only getting a wink from Remus in reply.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay- so- from now on, it's going to be less Remus just dragging the others around to do things lel- </p><p>me: can i start building up the ships yet orrrrr? </p><p>i don't even know how to do it- i mean- Janus and Remus kind of have a onesided thing on Remus' part that's there but like how even??? i'M gonna try-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Welcome To The Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Patton's having a moral crisis, Janus needs healing and Logan is curious.</p><p>Okay, i know this is a day late, but the schedule is probably going to change anyways, since i spent literally an entire day writing this damn short chapter. I Re-read the story, and i made some changes to my weird messups and plot holes, and hopefully things will be okay, but i might need longer to get these chapters out. No too long i promise! But yeah, hope you enjoy anyways &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Things were suddenly very tense and quiet on the ship as Daelya disappeared from view.</p><p>As Remus had disappeared, Remy along with him, no one was there to break it.</p><p>"So... we're criminals now." Roman said with a cough. Patton turned to look at him suddenly, face covered in shock and realization.</p><p>"Oh gosh! i knew what we just did was bad but... oh gosh! We just stole and frightened so many innocent people! what if we scared some poor kiddos into thinking they were going to die?!" Patton said, spiraling as he went on more. </p><p>He began pacing around, Roman, Logan and Emile watching him worriedly. </p><p>"Welcome to the life." Janus said with a smirk, he would of walked off, but... after all that, he was basically dying. </p><p>He slumped down onto the floor, Virgil sitting down beside him. </p><p>"Patton... gosh, i know, it's awful. I pride myself on being a noble prince and yet... here i am, thieving like a low-life while trying to save some criminals!" Roman said, shooting a glare at the two sat on the floor during his... what even is he doing?</p><p>"But we have to be strong! we can't turn back now, even though it feels... well it feels like a bucket of horse doo-doo." </p><p>"Horse... doo-doo?" Virgil repeated mockingly, smirking at the prince. </p><p>"Oh hush!" Roman spat at him, "Listen, Patton, why don't we go sit down for a while? i think we're all a little in shock..." </p><p>Patton sighed and stopped pacing, slowly nodding his head. The four of them then walked away, leaving Janus and Virgil alone on the deck.</p><p>"So, how long before the princeys crack and lose their shit?" Janus grinned. </p><p>"Ha! not even another week. Don't worry though, we can take 'em out with these," Virgil said as he pulled two daggers out, "Snatched 'em from Logan, the idiot didn't even notice." </p><p>"I've taught you to well." Janus said, fake wiping a tear from his eye, "Ow!" He hissed in pain as he tried to maneuver his arm, the running mixed with the energy from using his magicks had done a number on him, his whole body was ready to give out. </p><p>"What?! Oh, your injuries.. right." Virgil's voice was still lined with concern, causing Janus give him a small smile. </p><p>"Wait! God, i'm such an idiot, i can heal you!" Virgil said suddenly, resisting the urge to facepalm, hard.</p><p>"Oh, right... are you sure? you haven't done it in a long time..." Janus mumbled. </p><p>Virgil, in all honesty, wasn't that fond of using his own magicks. Janus' eyes briefly scanned the scars that covered the other, most of their injuries were healed naturally, only if they were truly bad did Virgil break out the magicks. </p><p>Virgil nodded, pulling up his hand and looking at it determinedly. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. </p><p>It was a little odd to watch from the outside, but, like a witch pulls essence to their wand, and spells and potion based magicks user has to pull it out of.. well, wherever it comes from inside of them. </p><p>Janus hadn't seen Virgil's magicks in so long he forgot what a pretty colour it was, the deep, rich purple. It looked like it was pouring out of his hand, floating it's way to Janus and slowly engulfing him. </p><p>Unlike a witch's spell, it felt somewhat personal, like Janus could feel Virgil wanting to heal him. He didn't even notice it working until the purple essence dispersed. He felt <em>worlds</em> better, surprisingly. </p><p>Magicks spells were more effective than Witch's spells, but not usually this much. Well, unless said magicks user was to completely drain themselves for one spell, but that would be totally idiotic-</p><p>"Virgil!" Janus was startled by his brother slumping down onto him, having lost consciousness. </p><p>"That fucking..." Janus hissed under his breath, it was sweet really, but seriously Virgil? Janus didn't need all that, yes, it was nice, but it wasn't necessary. </p><p>Sighing, Janus gently pushed the other off him and stood up, making sure Virgil didn't just slam right into the floor. </p><p>He thought for a moment, mentally checking over his body, was he able to pick the other up? </p><p>Only one way to find out! Sighing again, Janus slowly bent down and scooped the other up into his arms. </p><p>His back still hurt a little, but Virgil was luckily yet also unfortunately light. It was helpful in the moment but it only reminded Janus of the fact neither of them had eaten for... a while. </p><p>There was a room where a bunch of beds were, presumably where the workers slept when they were with the snobby bastard who was using the ship at the time. </p><p>Janus gently placed Virgil down onto the bed, it wasn't great that the other having a power drain, but at least he was somewhat getting rest. </p><p>It took him a minute just to get himself to leave to get some food, even though they were safe as they could be on the ship, he couldn't shake the feeling of danger. </p><p>They had left the bags outside on the deck, so Janus just grabbed one and headed back as quick as he could. </p><p>Despite knowing everything would be fine, he still felt the relief wash over him when he saw Virgil was still okay, he must of been holding more tension that he thought. </p><p>He sat down on the floor next to the bed, it felt strange, everything was quiet, while yes, someone technically was out to get them, they didn't need to run and hide right then, for a moment... it was okay. </p><p>--</p><p>Logan felt the regret run through him as he made his way to the other side of the ship. They, meaning Roman, Patton, Emile and him had specifically gone the opposite way Remus did to avoid him.</p><p>But Logan had questions. Gosh, imagine how amazing it would be if he was the first scholar to document details about magicks and how they worked!</p><p>Virgil and Janus had given him some information, but he wanted more. And although talking to Remus wasn't exactly a thrilling idea, the man seemed to know a lot... it was rather unsettling how much he knew, but nonetheless, answers!</p><p>So, begrudgingly, he had grabbed his messenger bag, which honestly, he was impressed he managed to keep on him this whole time, and headed for Remus.</p><p>"Logie! to what do i owe the pleasure?" Remus asked with a grin upon seeing the other enter. </p><p>Remus was hanging out in some sort of, what seemed to be, a captains quarters. Logan supposed <em>someone</em> had to be incharge of sailing the ship, after all. </p><p>"Strictly business Remus. I wish to know more about magicks, i'm doing research on it." Logan remembered back to the huge black tentacles that sprouted out of Remus' back in woods, he wanted to know more about that for sure.</p><p>"Oooie! i guess virgin and jan-jan wouldn't give you all the info, hm? what's your questions then, pretty boy?" Remus asked, sliding onto the desk that sat in the room, while winking at Logan. </p><p>Logan sighed and rolled his eyes, taking a few steps closer to Remus as he pulled his notebook out. </p><p>"I am curious about your... animal like abilities, i suppose, the tentacles is what i'm referring to." Logan said, nodding his head towards the other.</p><p>"Oo! want to see them again?" Remus asked with a shit-eating grin. <br/>
"Actually, i would, i would love to be able to study them further." Logan said, flipping his notebook open.</p><p>"You got it!" Remus chirped, hopping off the desk and immediately sprouting out those slimy looking tentacles. </p><p>Logan moved closer again, he certainly didn't want to get to close to Remus, on account of, well, Remus being Remus, but he was so <em>curious</em>. </p><p>"What do they feel like?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow. </p><p>"Touch 'em yourself!" Remus said with smirk. </p><p>"No." Logan said firmly. </p><p>"Finee, they feel kinda... slimy, but in a good way! and also smooth at the same time?" </p><p>"Interesting..." Logan mumbled, starting to jot things down. </p><p>"Oh! and also, i can move 'em around, lookie!" Logan looked up to see said tentacles now spinning around, almost knocking several things over.</p><p>"Very interesting." </p><p>"There probably pretty effective in combat, i've never really tried before but if you think about it i could throw people away and strangle them! it's like having a bunch of extra arms!" Remus said, grin murderous.</p><p>"Hm, you are correct, i believe they could be beneficial for combat usage, however i do not recommend strangling anyone." Logan said, back to jotting things down, "Do all magicks users have this? some sort of, abnormal animal ability or body part?" </p><p>"Well, snakey obviously has snakey scales, but i betcha anything he can do other snakey things, like fangs and poison! Not sure about all magicks users, the little one doesn't seem to have<em> any</em> abnormal features." Remus shrugged. </p><p>"Interesting... well, thank you very much Remus." Logan said, nodding to him as he slipped the notebook back inside his bag.</p><p>"No problemo! does this mean you owe me? if it does, i-" </p><p>"<em>No</em>. I am willing to do something such as give you information in return, however anything else such as the honestly disgusting things your mind comes up with is completely out of the question." Logan said with a glare.</p><p>"How dare you! i wouldn't ask that of you, i am loyal to my snake man!" Remus gasped, drawing his hand to his chest. </p><p>Logan rolled his eyes once again, before exiting. Remus grinned to himself, sure, he was <em>very</em> determined to get on Janus' good side... but he's still Remus. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, i want to explain magicks and witches fully in this world cuz i feel like its not clear because im a bad wriTer LEl-</p><p>Witches: witches can be born a witch, i.e, be able to grab a staff and pull the essence to them naturally, or learn, they have to be taught by another witch how to use a staff, and also have to become trusted by nature to use the essence correctly. Witches can only use spells through a staff and enchantments, and only make potions with yo classic witchy shitzy</p><p>Elemtal Magicks: moldable power, it can do anything elemental, but they have to concentrate very hard to get specifics like with fire for example, if it burns or spreads or such. They also have a limited power source, depending on how big or how much they used, they need to recharge like a battery. </p><p>Spell Magicks: They don't need a staff, since their essence is theirs, not natures, and unlike a witch, they don't need to chant spells or anything, just again, concerntraction. They also don't run of power, they can keep casting spells, but they can like, just- shove it all into one spell, completely draining them. Usually only would be used to like do a life-saving healing spell, or some shit like that. </p><p>Hope this makes sense lel- </p><p>Also </p><p>Me before writing this chapter: intrulogical is so weird and i don't get it at all like how can anyone ship that the dynamic doesn't even work??</p><p>Me now: ............... wait-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Search</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>We get properly introduced to the head guard of Avia and Remy is taking the group somewhere special.</p><p>So the posting schedule for this story is officially dead- you get a chapter when you get a chapter, it might be short, it might be long, im sorry lEL-</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>James, the head guard for Avia, had been sent out with a group to Daelya to seek information on the missing princes and escaped criminals. </p><p>He was already annoyed at Daelya came into view, but he was more annoyed to see the insane amount of guards around.</p><p>It seemed like Daelya had increased their guarding, something had gone down. </p><p>"HALT! state your business." One of the guards was instantly threatening him with a sword as soon as they got to the dock.</p><p>"My name is James Goldsmith, head guard of the kingdom of Deria. The infamous deadly duo has escaped our neighbouring kingdom Avia, and both the kingdoms princes are missing, so we are searching for them." James informed him, pulling of his helm. </p><p>"There certainly not here. However, a few days ago there was a magicks fire started here, and one of our ships was stolen. No one saw their faces, but it was possible there involved it whatever happened to your princes." The guard on the dock said, lowering their sword. </p><p>"I see. Magicks...? it was most likely them... how many people, roughly?" James questioned.</p><p>"A few guards saw them, said about seven or eight." The guard said with a shrug. </p><p>"Eight...?" James echoed in confusion, eyebrow raised. <em>How could there be eight? How many people were involved in this?</em></p><p>"And when these guards saw them, what were they doing?" </p><p>"Well, stealing the boat, duh." The guard scoffed. James glared at him, taking a step closer.</p><p>"This is not a joke. I will find these filthy criminals and i will kill them. I have a job to do you and if you aren't going to help you better get <em>out</em> of my way." He growled. </p><p>The guard was silent as they took a step back. James pushed past him, his own guards behind him. </p><p>--</p><p>After a few days on the ship, it was safe to say the group was starting to get on each others nerves. </p><p>Remus was too loud and didn't have any boundaries, Logan kept asking the three magicks users question after question, Patton kept having breakdowns, Virgil and Roman kept arguing, Janus kept hissing at everyone, truly, only Emile and Remy weren't causing problems.</p><p>Remy was, and had remained, very calm about everything. Emile was less calm, but he was naturally a pretty quiet guy, keeping his concerns to himself. </p><p>He and the other got along surprisingly well for two people so different. </p><p>Emile liked children's stories and other child-like things, he was quiet and reserved, while Remy was loud and eccentric, he kept inventing new words that made no sense, and he overall talked in a strange accent Emile had no idea where was from.</p><p>Remy had said it was nice to have someone who listens, and Emile just found him funny. </p><p>"So, what were Roman and Virgil arguing about today?" Remy asked with a smirk as he sat down next to Emile. </p><p>"Hair or something, Roman said Virgil's was an ugly mess and Virgil said Roman's was stupid. I don't know." Emile said sheepishly, he wasn't a fan of all the arguing that took place within the group. </p><p>"I've never seen two people be able to come up with so many insults for eachother." </p><p>"It's truly impressive." Emile said, laughing. </p><p>"Hm, well, luckily, we're close to Cloud town, our next destination." Remy said with a smile. </p><p>"Why are we going there?" Emile asked, tilting his head slightly. </p><p>Remy smiled at him again, <em>that head tilt is adorable</em>, "That, is my home town." </p><p>Emile gasped, almost jumping up from his chair, "Were going to your home town?!" </p><p>"Yep, my family are probably like, the only people we can trust. Still, not a good idea to be full on honest, and also, i need to ask Virgil and Janus if they've been there before, the only reason we got through Daelya is because we were quick, they can't be wondering around, neither can the princeys." Remy sighed, taking off his hat and placing it down. </p><p>"Hat hair." Emile giggled, patting it down. </p><p>"I swear to god, this hat is betraying me." Remy muttered, glaring at it. </p><p>--</p><p>Cloud town was a pretty nice place, a rather big town full of friendly people. However, despite being rather large, everyone knew eachother, and everyone was very close. </p><p>If you messed with one person in Cloud town, you were messing with everyone in Cloud town. </p><p>"But it has such a cute friendly name!" Patton said with a pout upon hearing this news from Remy. </p><p>"Everyone's super friendly, but like also murderous." Remy said, smirking.  </p><p>"Fun." Janus said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"Listen, they'll keep our secrets, none of them would rat us out, ever. Obviously, still need to keep to ourselves, since Janus has delightfully informed me that he and Virgil have indeed been here, but we should be okay." Remy said with a sigh. </p><p>"So what will your family think of where you are? you know, your best friend is Remus and your harboring two criminals across the region." Emile asked. </p><p>"Ah, my mother is going to be so proud."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I put my other story on hiatus because im struggling with it, so its just this one. Again, the posting schedule is gone, i have no idea when i'll post a chapter, most likely just... when it's finished lel- sooo yeah! &lt;3</p><p>ALSO JAMES IS A DICK BUT I LOVE HIM-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Mrs. Sanders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Remy's mother is Remy's mother. That's all.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Surprsingly, Remy's mother was delighted to see him, barely even noticing the others. </p><p>"Remington!" She squealed, pulling the protesting man into her arms.</p><p>"Remington?" Roman repeated with a scoff. </p><p>"Shut it prince boy." Remy hissed at him.</p><p>"Prince....- HOLY MOTHER OF STARS IS THAT PRINCE ROMAN!?" Remy's mother cried out, dropping her son immediately.</p><p>"Ma! shhh!" Remy shushed her, rather loudly, as ironic as that is.</p><p>"Ma, listen, i've got a lot to tell you, but before i do, you have to promise me everything said here is between us and us only, got it?" Remy looked at his mother seriously.</p><p>"Of course my darling, now, explain to me why you have not one, but two princes with you!" Remy's mother gasped again upon seeing Patton, who waved to her sheepishly.</p><p>"Yeah well... it's not just princes.. heh." Remy awkward rubbed the back of his neck, glancing over to Janus and Virgil.</p><p><em>Well, now i've really got to explain</em>, Remy thought to himself upon seeing his mother's now shocked, confused, and annoyed expression.</p><p>-</p><p>"So hold on, your telling me, you and your boyfriend are taking these two thieves across the region to keep them safe?" Remy's mother repeated, gathering her thoughts.</p><p>"Yes, also, Remus is not my boyfriend, ew, no, never." </p><p>"Ha! you'd be lucky to have me as your boyfriend Rem boy!" Remus called out to him, he was currently messing with the things in Mrs. Sanders kitchen. </p><p>"Well... certainly a lot to take in, but honestly, not sure what else to expect from my Remy!" Remy's mother said with a chuckle, "Well? are you going to introduce me to your friends?" </p><p>The others stared at her in shock, how was she so calm about this!? </p><p>Remy rolled his eyes at her with a smile, "Well, you know the princes, this is Logan, Roman's royal advisor and only friend." </p><p>"Hey!" Roman jumped up suddenly, glaring at him. </p><p>"That's Emile, Patton's adorable royal advisor." Remy said, smirking at Emile. Emile blushed, sending him a small smile back. </p><p>"And uh, this is Janus and Virgil..." Remy turned to the last two, still standing away, looking hostile. </p><p>Mrs. Sanders sighed, glancing over at them, "Well boys, i don't particularly like having you here either! Listen, i know you don't do those things without a reason, but i definitely don't condone stealing and violence." </p><p>Neither replied, Virgil scooted closer to Janus, almost like he was trying to hide behind him. Virgil had sarcastic sass for days but he could get suddenly anxious at any time. </p><p>"Okay! well, you guys must of been traveling for a while, you need a good meal in you! i'll cook us all dinner!" Remy's mother said cheerfully, she seemed to be a rather mood-changy person, although, being Remy's mother, what else would you expect? </p><p>The man, who's own mood was also constantly changing, followed his mother through to the kitchen to deal with whatever Remus was doing in there, leaving the others behind. </p><p>"She seems nice." Patton hummed, turning to Roman, Logan and Emile next to him. </p><p>
  <strong> <em>"REMUS GET THE HELL OF THE TABLE!" </em> </strong>
</p><p>"I'm.... going to go help them in there." Emile said, laughing somewhat nervously at what he would find in the kitchen as he scooted over. </p><p>"This place is so... homey. I wish i had grown up like this..." Patton mumbled to no one in particular as he trailed around, looking at the pictures on the walls. </p><p>"I... i see what you mean. Growing up royal is... not the perfect picture." Roman said with a sigh. </p><p>"Parents never around... too many expectations... never being independant...." Patton listed things off as he continued to move around the room, eventually ending up near Janus and Virgil. </p><p>"What about you two?" The question fell out of his mouth  before he could stop it, instantly regretting what he said. </p><p>Janus' head shot around to stare at him, "What. Do you think?" </p><p>"I'm s-sorry! it just slipped out..." Patton took a step back, he hated any sort of confrontation, and he definitely didn't want to annoy either of these two. </p><p>"Well, think next time before you speak." Janus spat at him.</p><p>"On the contrary, there is no need for you to be so aggressive towards a simple question. Even if your childhoods were unpleasant, it is unnecessary to act like that." Logan said to him, stepping closer.</p><p>"What?" Janus' head now turned to Logan, death staring. </p><p>The death stare did not seem to deter Logan in the slightest, as the man kept moving forward, "I am saying your behaviour towards Patton is uncalled for. Yes, the question was rather personal, however, it was targeted at you in a bad way, and he apologized." </p><p>Janus continued to glare at him, but didn't say anything else, he turned and grabbed Virgil's wrist, pulling him into another room. </p><p>"Good job Logan! you got them to go the hell away!" Roman said with a grin, walking over to his best friend.</p><p>"That was not my intention."</p><p>"I know but whatever, i do <em>not</em> like those two, and now they're gone, so good!" Roman said, continuing to grin. </p><p>"Logan... thank you for trying to stick up for me, but i think i was in the wrong there." Patton said sheepishly. </p><p>"No one was in the wrong, it was a simple misunderstanding and misuse of words." Logan stated. </p><p>"God, you make getting them to go away sound so <em>boring</em>." Roman complained, rolling his eyes. </p><p>--</p><p>After Remy got Remus under control, he and Emile helped Mrs. Sanders to cook dinner, and soon they were all sat around the table in awkward silence.</p><p>"So, Remus, how long have you been best friends with my son?" Remy's mother asked.</p><p>"Longggg time! like, six years!" Remus chirped happily, messily eating the food, much to Janus' disgust, who had ended up sat next to him. </p><p>"Six? that's right around when he left home... and... you two live together?" </p><p>"For the last time Ma nothing is going on there!" Remy groaned, holding back the urge to slam his head into his plate. </p><p>"It's true, i tried to, but he didn't want my fabulous body, and besides, i have a snake man!" Remus grinned, turning to Janus.</p><p>"Really, you don't." Janus said through gritted teeth.</p><p>"Well this simply won't do! do any of you boys want to date my lovely son? he simply can't be single!" Mrs. Sanders cried out dramatically. Definitely Remy's mother.</p><p>"Ma!" Remy hissed at her, but she ignored him, scanning her eyes across the table. </p><p>She looked across their faces, all very awkward, but suddenly stopped her gaze on Emile.</p><p>"How about you?" She said in a sweet tone, making Emile's face go red instantly.</p><p>"MA I SWEAR TO JOAN!" Remy stood up suddenly, slamming his hands down on the table, startling the others a little. </p><p>"Calm down Remington! gosh, i've never seen you get this worked up over this sort of thing before..." She lowered her volume towards the end of her sentence, eyes flashing over to Emile as if she knew something before finally changing the subject.</p><p>"So, Prince Roman, i might a<em> few</em> royal questions..."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>1. Joan is now the replacement for god in this world</p><p>2. chapter 15 we finally see some ship content? woah. Did you enjoy it? good. It's dead now.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Tense</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things are tense.</p><p>Also, welcome to the chapter where the author is basically having a conversation with you.</p><p>Oh, one last thing. Snake.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Silence. Very, very tense silence. </p><p>Roman, Patton, Virgil and Janus had been left on the boat together while the other four where still out in Cloud town, getting a few more supplies, including some clothes since they had all been wearing the same ones for far too long. </p><p>It was silent, all they could hear was the quiet waves of the water, as they sat awkwardly across from each other. </p><p>Why had no one left, you ask? it was so very awkward and tense, no one could bring themselves to move. </p><p>Deadly enemies, not a single drip of trust between them, (apart from Patton, he's a forgiving guy. Doesn't mean he trusted Virgil and Janus completely, but he trusted them more than anyone else.) Glares being shot, it was, well, as i've said a million times, tense.</p><p>Roman was the first to clear his throat and say something, "<em>Ahem</em>. So... you guys... think the other's will be long?" Even Roman was surprised at how... <em>awkward</em> he sounded, he's Prince Roman for Joan's sake! He shouldn't sound <em>awkward,</em> EVER!</p><p>"I'm sure they won't be too long!" Patton said, trying his best to smile, but  Janus turning to aim his glares at him made him want to crawl under the table and hide. </p><p>"Will you two stop glaring like that?" Roman growled - well, not an actually growl, more like the... <em>spirit</em> of a growl - at them. </p><p>"Stop making us glare at you." Virgil replied, turning his glare into a death stare at the prince.</p><p>"THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE!" Roman yelled angrily. </p><p>"You don't even make sense."</p><p>"<em><strong>THAT MAKES EVEN LESS SENSE!!!!</strong></em>"</p><p>"Calm down you two!" Patton said - well, honestly, he was begging at that point, he doesn't like confrontation - to the two who were about to rip eachothers throats, pulling Roman back slightly. </p><p>"You two really are pathetic, you really don't know anything about the real world. Been so busy being all princey and coddled, spoiled in mama and papa's love, can't even handle a verbal fight, how sad-" Virgil didn't even finish his sentence before Roman was lunging at him. </p><p>--</p><p>"So, Remy, you really know everyone around here, huh?" Emile asked as he, Logan and Remus followed Remy across Cloud town.</p><p>Remy was saying hello and giving hugs to almost everyone who walked past, them all being happy to see him again.</p><p>"Well, yeah. I told you, everyone's close here. But, still, can't be too careful i guess." Remy said with a shrug, all this being careful really wasn't for him, he'd rather be kinda reckless. I mean, he had standards, not Remus kind of reckless, but enough to have some fun. </p><p>"'Ey Remy! come over 'ere, i got this stuff your going to love!" Someone from behind a stall called. They were in the middle of the plaza, where a few stalls stood, selling food and such.</p><p>"Hey Mr. Reggard, what is it?" Remy asked, going up to the stall. </p><p>"This stuff, it's called coffee. All i could think of when i got some was this stuff was made for you!" Mr. Reggard said with a grin, he grabbed a small brown bag full of beans. </p><p>"What?" Remy looked down at it, eyebrow raised.</p><p>"You make it like you would tea, except it's completely different. Gives you a whole rush, too." Mr. Reggard said with a grin. </p><p>"Huh... sounds weird. How much?" Remy couldn't deny he was curious, i mean, what exactly did 'a whole rush' mean?</p><p>"On the house for ya!" Mr. Reggard said, clapping Remy on the back.</p><p>"Really?" He nodded, "Thanks Reg!" Remy grinned back to the man, before turning and going back to the group.</p><p>"What's that?" Logan asked, pointing to the bag in his hand. </p><p>"A drink, apparently. Like tea." Remy said with a shrug, shoving it in his bag. "Now, let's get the actual supplies." </p><p>Most of the supplies were easy enough, however, they still needed some more clothes for everyone. Remus had some, of course, but... well, they were Remus' clothes. So....Yeah.</p><p>There was a small shop in cloud town, owned by a couple who made clothes together. Outside, there was little hand-painted sign that said 'Canmore Clothes'. </p><p>"So, do they have a specific type of clothing they make?" Emile asked as they walked in. </p><p>"Nope, they'll do it all." Remy said with a smirk, Cloud town was full of talented people, you could get almost anything you needed. (within reason, of course)</p><p>It was brightly lit inside, but it had a nice feel to it. The walls were covered in shelves of materials and tools. </p><p>"Remy? is that you?" A female voice asked with a gasp. Suddenly, a woman rushed forward, pulling Remy into her arms. </p><p>"Hey Mrs. C!" Remy said, hugging her back. <br/> <br/>"Oh, it's been so long! gosh.. hm? who are these people, i haven't seen them around before." Mrs. Canmore asked, looking up at the other three. Logan and Emile stood there, while Remus was scanning the shelves, pulling things off and messing with them.</p><p>"Remus! put that down." Remy hissed at him, going over to pull him back. </p><p>"These are my friends.. we uh, need some clothes." Remy said, still holding onto Remus to stop him from wandering off again. </p><p>"Oh i-" Mrs. Canmore suddenly gasped again, just then looking at the state of their now rather dirty, crinkled clothes, "Don't worry! me and john will fix this for you!" </p><p>She said it so dramatically, like Roman would. "Save us from... what exactly?" Emile asked, tilting his head slightly, like he always did when he was confused, like a puppy would.</p><p>"THE CLOTHES DISASTER YOU ARE LIVING IN DEAR!" Mrs. Canmore gasped,  turning her head to look at Emile as if he were insane before whipping her head back around again, moving around her shop. </p><p>"Maybe should of warned you, Mrs. Canmore is the Roman of clothes." Remy said, chuckling. </p><p>Before they knew it, they were being pulled upstairs, where stands of clothes stood. </p><p>"I don't have time to make you anything, unfortunately. But, i have lots of clothes up here. What exactly do you need darlings?" She asked, her voice was calmer now, although, this was clearly still a fashion disaster. </p><p>"Uh, well, practical clothes, that's for sure. And also... we need clothes for eight people." Remy said, the last part sheepishly. </p><p>Mrs. Canmore's eyes went wide, but she quickly recovered, "Well... i must say, that is alot. But no need to fear! i can do it!" </p><p>"John! are you up here dear?" She called out. A male voice replied, "Give me a second!"</p><p>A moment later, a man with a beard appeared, smiling at them all, "Customers?"</p><p>"Yes! look, Remy has returned!" Mrs. Canmore said happily.</p><p>"Remy, my boy! how are you?" Mr. Canmore asked. </p><p>"I'm alright. Uh, listen, i don't want to be rude, but we are in a bit of a rush..." Remy said, rubbing the back of his neck.</p><p>"No need to worry sweetie. So, you need eight practical outfits, hm? Well...." </p><p>--</p><p>What exactly Logan, Emile, Remy and Remus were expecting to find when they got back to the ship wasn't clear, but...</p><p>"What the HELL!?" Remy screeched at them. Virgil and Roman had gotten into a fight, black eyes, busted lips, nosebleeds, Patton was bawling his eyes out, and both Virgil and Janus were nowhere to be seen. </p><p>It wasn't too bad, but Roman was acting as if he had been stabbed in the heart. </p><p>"Where are Virgil and Janus?!" Remy demanded.</p><p>"How the hell am i supposed to know?! That monster tried to KILL me!" Roman spat, glaring.</p><p>"Everyone calm down. Roman, Virgil did not to you any lasting damage, clearly he was not trying to kill you." Logan said. Roman pouted at him. Sighing, Logan went and sat between Roman and Patton, and almost instantly, two heads were leaning on him. </p><p>Remus giggled at Logan's flustered face before Remy was pulled him away. "Okay, we have to find Janus and Virgil." </p><p>"Hm? oh right, my snake man! i have to make sure he's okay!" Remy sighed, rolling his eyes at Remus. Janus apparently, had got involved, but only really to stop the fight, surprisingly. </p><p>They begun searching the ship, but had no luck, until the final room. There was a small room on the lower of the ship, it was dark and musty in there, so no one had really been in. </p><p>The two exchanged a look before Remus reached for the door. He pulled it open, and immediately was met by the beady yellow eyes of a huge snake. </p><p>Shiny, bright yellow scales, wrapped up in itself, barely fitting in the room. It hissed at them, causing them both to back up quickly. </p><p>"What the fuck?!" Remy looked over at Remus, he didn't look scared per-say, just...</p><p>"HOLY FUCK IS THAT JANUS?!" Remus cried out, he sounded excited. Obviously, his tone caught the snake off guard, it gave as much of a confused look as a snake could. </p><p>"Ohh jan-jan! are you scared? don't worry, it's okay!" Remus cooed, stepping closer to the snake. The snake hissed again, but Remus didn't seem to care, just moving forward more. </p><p>"Oo, you scales look slimy!" Remus giggled, reached out to touch the scales. The snake froze as Remus stroked the scales, "Not slimy, just smooth! how interesting!" </p><p>Remy was staring at him like he was dipshit crazy, which, considering he was petting a giant snake like it was a bunny rabbit, he kinda was. </p><p>"Why don'tcha change back, eh? then we can talk about this. Roman's an idiot, and he gets offended way too easily. But also, you guys can't go around starting up a bunch of fights. We need to get along, you know." Remus said, continuing to stroke the scales of the snake.</p><p>Remy hadn't heard that kind of calmness and gentleness in Remus' voice in a long time, why exactly was he being so... <em>calm</em> and <em>un-remusy</em>?</p><p>A moment of silence followed, before the snake disappeared from in front of them, leaving a sort of dazed looking Janus in its place. </p><p>"Hey there Janus! sooo, you can turn into a snake?" Remus got right up in his face, grinning at him. </p><p>"Yes. Look, can you just leave us alone for a while? i'm sorry that seeing the person i care most about getting beat up made me mad, that was so very out of line of me." Janus hissed with a glare. </p><p>"Well, Roman got beat up too, so, they were both in the wrong. We'll leave you alone, but not for too long, we have to learn to be civil, so get up there soon." Remy said firmly, then turned away and begun walking.</p><p>"Can't believe your trying to tell me what to do after i almost just made you shit yourself." Janus mumbled, smirking to himself. </p><p>Remy looked back, death staring him, before continuing to walk away. </p><p>--</p><p>Tense. Tense again. Very silent, very tense. </p><p>All eight of them where stood, four on one side, three on the other, Remy standing in the middle.</p><p>"Okay, this isn't a battle to the death, calm down." Remy said with a sigh, breaking the silence.</p><p>"Virgil and Roman got into one of their many arguments everyone is sick of hearing and watching," He ignored the offended sound coming from the two, "And then it got psychical, you both need to chill the fuck out, and we all need to agree on one important thing." </p><p>"No. More. Fighting. We are a team, whether you like it or not. Got it?" Remy said firmly, he looked around them all, giving them harsh looks. </p><p>"But-" </p><p>"NO BUTS." Remy spat out, cutting Roman off. "No. More. FIGHTING."</p><p>"Hehe, butts." Remus giggled. Remy sighed, pinching his nose. </p><p>"Okay. Now, everyone needs to change. We got some clothes, so.. yeah." Remy gestured to the bags on the table. </p><p>"Oh, and another thing. Just so the princes and the duo can walk around for like, more than five minutes without being recognized, i was thinking an hair and maybe eye colour change is in order." </p><p>"But you can't change appearance for more than a short while." Logan reminded him, looking confused.</p><p>"Your right. I can't, but, he can." Remy looked over to Virgil, smirking. Virgil's eyes widened, "What?" </p><p>"It's not too much. I mean, unless any of you are deathly attached to your eye and hair colours." Remy said, rolling his eyes. </p><p>"I guess i could... are you guys okay with that?" Virgil asked, mainly looking at Janus. </p><p>Janus shrugged, "Being able to walk around without getting instantly recognized would be helpful." Of course, if people took good looks at their faces, they would know, but, just being able to walk through the streets was an improvement. </p><p>"Alright... come here then." Virgil said awkwardly, gesturing for the princes to come closer. </p><p>"Uh... what- wait, no, i'm gonna decide." Virgil's face suddenly turned into a smirk. </p><p>"Uh, no! this is permanent! don't do anything stupid!" Roman cried out, but before he could protest more, he was being surrounded by purple essence. </p><p>Light brown locks turned a dark, glossy red, Virgil had also decided to make it longer, it now falling below Roman's ears. His previously amber eyes turned shining emerald green.</p><p>"Wow Virgil..." Patton said in awe, the new hair and eyes actually suited Roman a lot better. Virgil rolling his eyes, but still smiling. He used the spell on Patton next.  </p><p>Patton's hair turned lighter, fluffy and fair. He turned his eyes a pale blue, and increased the amount of freckles. </p><p>"Oh, also... someone really needs to get Patton some glasses." Virgil said with a sigh. </p><p>Remy grinned, he reached into one of the bags and pulled out a case. "Here." He handed them to Patton. Patton put them on, blinking rapidly. "Hold on a sec babes." </p><p>Remy pulled out his staff, pointing it at Patton. Patton didn't even have time to look scared before the grey essence completely block his vision, but it left as soon as it came.</p><p>"There, they should be perfect now." Remy said, Patton blinked again, he... he could see... <em>fully</em>!</p><p>"Oh my gosh!" Patton gasped, looking around him. He could see before, but it was never perfect. And when he was tired or stressed, it got worse, plus he got a lot of headaches and eye strains.</p><p>His looked around them all, taking in as many details as he could. Virgil smiled, he still wasn't sure about these guys, but, he already somewhat liked Patton, the guy was just too likeable. </p><p>"Alrighty.." Virgil turned to Janus, smirking. Janus looked at him reproachfully. </p><p>Virgil rolled his eyes, engulfing Janus in his cloudy essence. Janus' hair also grew, like Roman's, except, Virgil made it down to his shoulders. It turned a golden blonde, his snake eye and scales remained, but his regular eye turned amber. </p><p>Virgil couldn't change his eye and scales, the abnormal features could not be changed permanently, only temporarily. So, Remy would still have to get rid of the scales when they wanted to be out. </p><p>"Wha-? why did you make my hair so long?" Janus demanded to know, glaring at Virgil.</p><p>"Uhm, because." Virgil said, like it was obvious. Janus looked at him like he was crazy, before Remus started messing with his hair. </p><p>"Ooo! i love it!" Remus giggled. </p><p>"Right, uh, guess i gotta do myself." Virgil had only used a spell on himself a few times, all for healing. He took a deep breath, and, instead of focusing on changing someone else, he focused on himself. </p><p>Slower than the others, the essence formed around him, changing the top of his hair to a bright purple, leaving the sides their raven colour. His eyes changed, one now bright green and the other bright blue. He didn't know why he didn't change his pale skin or even get rid of the scars that littered his skin, but he didn't. </p><p>"Why did you... do that to your eyes?" Janus asked, shocked by the change. </p><p>"Now, we match in not matching." Virgil said with a smirk. Janus stared at him, Virgil had just <em>permanently</em> made one his eyes mismatched, just for him?</p><p>"Don't look so shocked, i love you, you know that. Besides, considering we're brothers we look nothing alike." Virgil said, walking over. He didn't seem to care that everyone else was still in the room as he pulled Janus in for a hug. </p><p>"Half brothers. But, i love you too, you idiot." Janus mumbled, hugging him back. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AJFHET idk why i did this but i did this is how they look now- logically, this wouldn't help them much, but shut up, this is a made up world, KAREN-</p><p>also, outfits changes will happen in the next chapter, and honestly, they probs wont get another detailed outfit change, so yeah- lEl- but like again i like having somewhat of logic happen and realistically, they stanky, they need new clothes.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. A Sash, A Ribbon, And A Witch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The far too long outfit change happens, and James is angry.</p><p>If you don't care about the outfits (i don't blame you) just skip to the part with James- lel-</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was while of talking and dawdling as the four took in their appearance changes. </p><p>"Your right, this hair is<em> perfect</em> for me." Roman said, grinning. </p><p>"Your welcome, princey." Virgil rolled his eyes, smirking at the prince. </p><p>Roman gave him a look, he would of said something, but he could feel Remy deathstaring him. </p><p>"Okay, now, let's get changed. Also... we probably need to wash up a little, we all... kinda smell." Remy mumbled. </p><p>"Right..." </p><p>--</p><p>Remy sighed, tapping his fingers on the table. He was waiting for the others to all come back, what was taking them so long?</p><p>Roman was probably admiring himself honestly, but the others? He scanned himself over again, he had a dark brown jacket, short on the torso but longer on the arms. A white shirt underneath, black bottoms, a belt, and sturdy brown boots. He had placed his witch's hat back on, and he also now had a pair of black fingerless gloves, going up his forearms. </p><p>His hair was sticking out from under his hat, but he didn't really care to notice. The gloves felt strange and the boots were bigger than he was used too, but he had to admit, it would be a lot more practical to fight if they needed too without his usual long cloak. </p><p>Then, he heard the door swing open. Looking up, he saw Emile shuffling in, clearly also not used to the kind of clothing. Which was no surprise to Remy, Emile was used to wearing softer clothing, less practical, more for looking the part. </p><p>He had a shirt that Remy couldn't quite place the colour of, somewhere between beige and light pink, a big belt, brown bottoms, and similar big boots. All of them had very similar boots, made to be sturdy and last a long time. </p><p>He didn't have gloves, more of arm guards, Remy had asked Mrs. Canmore about it, she had said that it helped when blocking, and gloves helped with grip, or something like that. </p><p>"Hey there, you come around these parts often?" Remy teased flirtatiously. Emile rolled his eyes, but was smiling as he walked over to Remy. </p><p>"No one else is done yet?" Emile asked, looking around. Remy shook his head, "Nope."</p><p>As if he had been summoned, Remus came crashing it. He rushed forward and jumped up onto the table, causing it to shake. "Wowie! this is so much better than my old stuff! i can move around so much more!" </p><p>"Remus, get off the table." Remy barked at him. Remus looked - well, he looked like a pirate to be honest. His green shirt openly fell almost half way down his chest, which was unfortunate as no one wanted to see that, literally no one, and a light green sash tied around his waist, plus a strap with a few small holders ran from his shoulder to his waist. </p><p>Black puffy bottoms, and huge black boots. His sleeves were rolled up and he was also sporting black fingerless gloves, only they were a different material to Remy's, he wondered what the difference was. </p><p>Remus grinned down at him, "You like what you see~?"</p><p>Remy recoiled, with a loud "<em>Eugh</em>." sound, which only make Remus grin wider. The door swung open again, and Janus and Virgil walked in.</p><p>"What is this thing? is a cloak or a jacket? i can't even tell.." Virgil mumbled, pulling on the dark purple... cloak-jacket he was wearing. It fastened together with three clips, and also had a hood hanging down his back. The shirt underneath was black, it was open at the top, (Although definitely not as much as Remus', yikes.) connected by a criss-cross stitch, and the belt he wore was dark grey. Mrs. Canmore had given him new gloves but Remy could of sworn he was still wearing the old ones, he also had similar boots to Remus'.</p><p>Janus rolled his eyes at him. Janus' was definitely a cape, although it was short, only reaching his waist. It was black, and fastened with the same clips as Virgil's, but only two of them. The collar of his shirt stuck out, grey, lined with yellow on the rims. The sleeves of the shirt ran down the majority of his arms, stopping at his gloves. He needed them, not that he had really explained why. </p><p>Remy didn't know why he was observing their outfits so closely, it was kind of fun actually, there was a lot of similarities in the outfits, all made to last and to be practical if they need to run or fight, but they all had their uniqueness too. </p><p>Remy may or may not of slipped a few things to Mrs. Canmore about colours and such. It wasn't like he did it just so they would all enjoy the outfits more. Shut up. </p><p>"Where are the other three? there taking a long time..." Emile said to no one in particular. </p><p>"Princey is probably talking Logan and Patton's ears off about how <em>handsome</em> and <em>perfect</em> he is." Virgil said, rolling his eyes. </p><p>"Does that mean you think he's handsome and perfect?" Remus asked, finally jumping off the table. </p><p>"What!? no, ew!" Virgil spluttered, taking a step back. </p><p>"Calm down Virgil, we all know Roman's ego is big enough, no one around here is going to go telling him he's more handsome that he already thinks he is." Janus said, rolling his eyes.</p><p>Finally, after what seemed like forever, the last three finally emerged. Roman, being the dramatic gay he is, presented himself like a model, striding in. </p><p>"Hello there!" He said, flashing them his prince smile. He was used to a different reaction than groaning, being ignored, and Remus saying they looked like pirate twins. He frowned and furrowed his brows at them, but something about the reaction felt... nice, in a way. It wasn't the usual forced clapping of people who saw him as just... the prince, like he was an object. </p><p>He blinked, <em>woah there Roman, got a little deep there</em>,<em> let's not.</em> He shook his head, clearing the thought about, before looking around, taking in the others outfits.</p><p>He had to admit, the look he had himself was.. interesting. He had a red jacket, material more for protection than comfort, which he wasn't used to. A white shirt, a thin brown belt and darker brown bottoms, and boots. He also had brown gloves on, something else he wasn't used too. </p><p>He felt less princely, that's for certain. However... he did feel more... <em>Roman-y?</em> No, that's stupid, Prince Roman is Prince Roman! he's a Prince! </p><p>Roman-y isn't even a word, he internally scoffed at himself. Even so.... was he even Prince Roman anymore? depending on what happened when they got to the next region...</p><p>"Ooo! i do love this outfit, although, it's a lot more... showy, than the rest, don't you think?" Patton's voice broke though his thoughts. He turned to look at the shorter man, it was true, the outfit was different than the rest. Still practical, but...</p><p>The shirt has four large buttons, the whole outfit was full of small details of little frills, the arm guards too... somehow. There was a short trail running down the back of the shirt, and the colours where baby blue and white. The bottoms were a dark gray, and the boots the same build and brownness as the others. </p><p>"Heheh.." Remy stood up, taking a few steps towards Patton, "Yeah.... that one, uhm... well, Mrs. Canmore made it for her daughter when she begun guard training. I told her you were pretty small, so she gave that to me." </p><p>Remy thought Patton might be some sort of upset, but Patton just burst out giggling, "Oh i love that! Reusing clothes that are still in good condition is a great idea! Plus, i actually like the little... trialy thing!" He turned his head, trying to look at it as his hand messed around with it. </p><p>Remy blinked at him, but hey, he wasn't going to question it. He glanced over at Logan, taking in the final outfit. </p><p>The simple light blue shirt had the sleeves rolled up, and a sash much like Remus' was tied, only in a dark blue instead of green. Navy blue bottoms and dark brown laced boots. </p><p>"Alright, now that that's done, i guess you guys can relax for a while. I need to go say goodbye to everyone, and then i'll be back." Remy said, before making his exit. </p><p>"Oo! Jan-jan, i have an idea!" Remus grabbed something from the table and ran over to Janus.</p><p>"What..?" Janus asked cautiously, any idea of Remus' was dangerous. Well, so he thought, until Remus slipped behind him and took his now longer hair, which was definitely going to take some getting used too, into his hand. </p><p>"What are you-?" Janus cut himself off when he felt his hair tug and heard a weird russling. It tugged once more and as Remus walked in front of him again, it felt... different. </p><p>"Ta-da!" Janus blinked at Remus, then went to feel the back of his head. His hair was tied up with a small piece of ribbon. </p><p>"That should be easier for you, plus, it looks nice!" </p><p>"Oh.. uh... thanks." Janus mumbled, that was the second nice-weirdly-not-remusy thing that Remus had done, it was... kind of unsettling. </p><p>Remus grinned at him, Janus rolled his eyes and walked past him, but he had to admit, having his hair up was nicer.</p><p>--</p><p>James slammed his hand down onto the table. The other guards standing around him all flinched at the action. </p><p>"This. Is. USELESS!" He yelled angrily. "We've been searching all the towns and villages, and we haven't found <em>anything.</em> No sign of the criminals or the princes, or whoever the hell else is involved in this!" </p><p>"We are just wasting time! the next kingdom along we won't reach for a couple days and they're probably already way ahead!" James stood up straight, glaring around at the other guards.</p><p>"Well? What? do you have any ideas or what?!" He spat at them.</p><p>"Sir, all we can do is keep looking, they can only go so far. We don't know the motives, so-" One guard began, but was cut off by James.</p><p>"I KNOW THAT! That. Is why. we're searching. None of you have anything?" Silence followed.</p><p>James growled angrily, then turned to a guard standing behind him, "You got a witch?"</p><p>The guard nodded, he stepped to the side, and behind him stood a man with straight brown hair falling over his eyes. </p><p>"We need to find some people." James said, moving forward towards the witch. </p><p>"Why would i help you? you brought me here against my will." The witch growled, glaring at James.</p><p>"Why? oh dear -?" He paused, waiting for a name. The witch glared harder but as the guards around him started to move in, he knew he was outnumbered, "Thomas." </p><p>James smiled, "Dear Thomas, you don't have a choice." He moved in closer, "You are dealing with me, i run this shit, i can have you and everyone you care about gone before you even know it." His smile turned twisted and cruel.</p><p>Thomas took a step back, fear in his eyes. </p><p>"Now that your listening, we need to find some people. The princes of Avia and Deria, and the deadly duo." </p><p>"A tracking spell isn't that easy. I need something to track, a scent, a hair, whatever." Thomas said coldly, he was not going to just help this sick bastard. </p><p>James growled, "<em>Fine</em>. We will find something, but, for the time being..." He smirked again, nodding to the guards behind him.</p><p>The two jumped forward immediately, grabbing Thomas and restraining him. "Have fun being our <em>guest</em>, Thomas." </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It's only been two days its a miracle here's your chapter might have to last ya for a while idk what im doingggggggggggggggggg-</p><p>SO I GUESS THOMAS IS HERE NOW- i didn't plan on this it just sort of happened but okay-  Also, i did draw the outfits because its easier for me to explain them when i have a visual, but i probably still explained them badly and im sorry lel- I might finish up the drawing and.. find a way to show it idk how but yeah- anyways, toodles &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>CHOO CHOO WELCOME ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN!</p><p>Remus gets hit with a nightmare and James is angry.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Remus wasn't particularly fond of sleep. You can't do anything while you're <em>sleeping.</em> What a waste of time!</p><p>But sometimes, he didn't like sleep for other reasons. He didn't like to focus on the bad, more just, the chaotic and gross. However, sometimes, the bad caught up to him.</p><p>It was rare, seeing as it all happened so long ago, must of been coming up to around seven years, but it still hung around, occasionally going in for a hit. </p><p>
  <em>It was dark. It always started in darkness, nothing, no one surrounding around him. And then the bars appeared.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He had never seen the sight with his own eyes, but the image plagued him. His parents, alone, awaiting their end in a cell.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He had screamed and argued, and only gotten himself into trouble, being banished from the kingdom. But not before they had used every fibre of evil, twisted cruelness in their bodies to make him watch, unable to speak, say or do anything, bound, he was too distraught to use magicks, <strong>He couldn't help them.</strong></em>
</p><p>
  <em>He never got to say sorry. Or to tell them he loved them. Before he lost them. He squeezed his eyes closed, but he could feel it, he could hear it, t<strong>he sound of the sword <span class="u">crashing down-</span></strong></em>
</p><p>He awoke with a start, a sound, not quite a scream came out. Darkness surrounded him, was he even awake? It was quiet, all he could was a soft... is that water? What-</p><p>"Remus?" A voice... <em>who's voice is that?</em> He turned to look in direction the sound came from but he could barely see anything in the darkness. </p><p>Suddenly, a light appeared in the form on a lit lantern. It illuminated the person holding it, which was... </p><p>"Janus?" Remus blinked, then rubbed his eyes. Mostly due to the tiredness, but also, he was surprised to see Janus standing there.</p><p>"Yes, you woke me up with your.. strange... sound." It truly wasn't very loud, no one else was awake, well, Remus heard rustling from a bed he thought was Virgil's, but still. </p><p>"I'm the world's lightest sleeper." Janus said with a sigh, as if he could read Remus' thoughts.</p><p>Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Sorry."</p><p>"Excuse me, what?" Janus was looking at him in total disbelief, "Did Duke Remus of Greenstown, the chaotic, dirty sponge eating, screech in your ear, has no sense of personal space, pyromaniac just say <em>sorry</em>?" </p><p>Remus grinned at him, and Janus rolled his eyes. "I'm going back to bed. Goodnight, Remus." </p><p>He turned and walked back to his own bed, blew out the lantern, and darkness covered the room once more. </p><p>But the heavy dark feeling didn't return, he didn't magically feel better of course, but it was like there was a small fire sitting at the bottom of the ice, slowly melting it away.</p><p>--</p><p><em>Tap. Tap. Tap.</em> All other sounds had been blocked out, all he could hear was his own footsteps.</p><p><em>Tap. Tap. Tap</em>. He knew he was pacing around, but he couldn't help it, everything was going wrong.</p><p><em>Tap. Tap. Tap.</em> They had found nothing to track yet. Town after town, village after village, nothing. </p><p><em>Tap. Tap. Tap</em>. The rest of the guards were useless idiots. They couldn't even keep the stupid witch in order. He'd almost escaped three times already, lucky they atleast had one compitent person to keep him in check.</p><p><em>Tap. Tap. Tap</em>. He glanced over at the map, there next stop was Cloud Town. He sighed in frustration, that town was built up in protection, even if they had information, no one would tell. </p><p><em>Tap. Tap. Tap</em>. And then the tapping stopped. He froze. Sound crashed into his ears, crashing, yelling, the gushing of the water. </p><p>He turned and followed the sound, out on the deck of the Avia ship they were using, the witch had once again escaped, the sound of yelling had subsided as James viewed the several unconscious guards on the ground.</p><p>He came to a halt, smirking. He turned his head to look at the panting witch who had not yet noticed him. </p><p>"Well, you sure do put up a good fight." James said, announcing himself loudly. He moved forward and grabbed Thomas before the witch could react. </p><p>"But you keep forgetting that no matter how many times you take this back," He snatched the staff from Thomas' hand, "You'll always have to get past me to truly escape. This is the last time, or else everyone you love will be gone within a moment, got it?" </p><p>Thomas paled, suddenly freezing. As much as he hated this slimy bastard, he didn't want anything to happen to his family.</p><p>James grinned, dragging the other back to the ship's cell. He was about to walk away when he stopped, turning his head to look back at the witch. </p><p>"Oh, i almost forgot. Thank you, for this escape attempt. Now i know how powerful of a witch we're dealing with,<em> i might just keep you around.</em>" He took a moment to enjoy the pain on the witch's face before he left.</p><p>If you asked James why he did what he did, he wouldn't tell you it's because it's his job. </p><p>Of course, it is his job, he knows what's he's doing and what he got himself into, he knows if he fails the king and queen would have his head.</p><p>But truly, he doesn't care. Because the reason he does it, the reason he spent so long working his way up to the top, the reason he's at the top, is because he is immoral. </p><p>A ruthless, cut-throat, cruel and twisted person deep at heart. He knows it, everyone knows it, the king and queen know it, that's why he's the head guard, they know he'll get the job done. No matter how many lives are lost in the process.</p><p>He enjoys seeing the pain and fear in other's eyes, a scream is the sweetest sound. He knows he's a deeply sick person, a horrible, truly twisted person. And knowing that, makes him smile. </p><p>--</p><p>Remus woke up later than usual the next morning. Well, being Remus, he woke up at a different time every morning. But it was later than most mornings, still.</p><p>He headed down to the room he had dubbed "the table room." Very inventive, seeing as it, you know, had a table in it. He was surprised to find it empty, apart from Virgil grabbing some food.</p><p>"Ey Virgin! Where's the others?" He asked. Virgil startled, apparently not knowing Remus was there, then turned to the duke with a sigh.</p><p>"I don't know, upstairs in the captain office thingy. There making a plan or whatever." Virgil answered with a shrug. </p><p>"Huh. Wait, without me?!" Remus gasped, faking offence. Virgil rolled his eyes.</p><p>"Is my snake man up there too? he doesn't seem to usually be included in there plan making." Remus asked as he moved forward.</p><p>"Uh, i don't know. Probably. Also, you have to stop calling him your snake man." Virgil mumbled.</p><p>Remus grinned, reaching over Virgil to grab an apple. He moved back and leaned forward, inches away from Virgil's face. </p><p>"You scared i'm gonna steal your bro bro?" </p><p>Virgil hissed and pushed him away, making Remus burst out laughing. "For the last time Remus, shut up! i'm just telling you that he doesn't, nor will he<em> EVER</em> have any interest in you!" </p><p>Remus grinned at him, "That's what you think!"</p><p>Virgil sighed heavily and rolled his eyes once more before pushing past Remus, who was now letting the apple roll down his and then flicking it upwards and catching it, and exiting the room.</p><p>He wasn't worried in the <em>slightest</em>. He knew Janus, he didn't have any interest in anyone in the first place, let alone that weirdo. </p><p>But it was more Remus' persistence that got to him. How could anyone keep going up the same energy with someone who clearly wasn't interested? Sure, Virgil wasn't blind, even he knew Janus had an attractive face, even with the scales, but where on earth was Remus getting the fuel to keep it up? </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>some peeps were like "i feel bad for james!" so... I destroyed that.</p><p>Also, angst. Also, this chapter was a bit all over the place, and i'm sorry for that lel. I want to get into Remus' backstory, and the dukeciet but also its slowburn so i cant just yeet it in there but also i want to but AAAAAA- </p><p>Also highkey Virgil is defo jealous- he don't wanna loose Janus to a trash man, and that's understandable. uhhhhhhhhhhhh- also rip thomas. </p><p>I use these authors notes just to get out my thoughts while i was writing so usually its a lot lel- im going to try to make the next chapter focus on the prince bois and logan and emile so, yeah! okay toodles &lt;3 (yes, the remus angst train stops here for a while, im sorry im annoying like that)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Fight Or Flight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Remy teaches the guys how to defend themselves incase they get into any trouble.</p><p>I am awful at writing action/fighting/whatever so i'm sorry in advance.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was what had become a normal morning for them in "the table room". (Remus' name had begun to stick)</p><p>Eating, casual chatting, well, as casual as it could get, and just overall calmness due to early hour. </p><p>However, on this particular morning, a certain tentacled chaos man had decided to have some fun. </p><p>He slithered into the back of the room without anyone noticing, and sprouted out his tentacles. He just admired them for a moment, truly, he adored them, more than anyone should adore gross slimy tentacles that come out of there body. </p><p>The table room was rather messy, lots of boxes spread around. They were yet to open any of these boxes, too. That got Remus all curious all over again, but he was determined to carry out his original mischief plan first. </p><p>He maneuvered his way across the room till he was behind Virgil, who was sat alone away from the others. </p><p>He felt the grin climb up his face, shit-eating and wide, this was going to be fucking hilarious!</p><p>He crept forward slowly till he was in the right position and then - the tentacles leapt forward, wrapping themselves around Virgil. </p><p>Arms, legs, torso, he heard a small strangled scream before one covered his mouth. Before he could have any fun however, Virgil disappeared, leaving only purple cloudy essence floating behind.</p><p>He reappeared on the other side of the room, still in complete panic mode. "WHAT THE FUCK REMUS!?" </p><p>All other eyes in the room were switching from Remus to Virgil with confusion and surprise. </p><p>"It's not fun if you use a teleporting spell to get away Virgin!" Remus whined, not bothering to put the tentacles away as he walked out. </p><p>"WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO, LET YOU STRANGLE ME?!" Virgil hissed at him, he was clutching to his shirt, breathing heavy. Normally, Remus would find it hilarious he managed to panic him so much, but he felt a strange twinge of... <em>bad...ness?</em></p><p>Maybe it was the fact that Janus was giving him the hardest death stare he'd ever received, and, being Remus, he had received a lot of death stares. </p><p>"Calm down Virgil, you didn't exactly come to any harm." Roman said, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"Oh, i'm sorry, your right, next time some TENTACLES ARE ATTACKING ME I'LL JUST DO NOTHING." </p><p>Roman rolled his eyes again, "You literally just teleported away instantly." </p><p>"What else was i supposed to do!? what, was my fight or flight instinct supposed to go with fight? what would i of even done?!" Virgil shot back. </p><p>"Pft, fight or flight. You always go with flight." Roman scoffed. </p><p>"Oh yeah, like you'd do any different. You can't fight for shit, princey." Virgil hissed. </p><p>Roman shut his mouth, simply glaring at Virgil instead. It's not like he could argue on that, he didn't know how to fight in the slightest.</p><p>"Actually, Virgil has a point. None of you know how to fight, and... well, i think your probably going to need to know how to atleast defend yourselves at some point during this whole thing." Remy said. </p><p>"How much about fighting do<em> you</em> know?" Roman asked, eyebrow raised.</p><p>"I come from what is basically a cult town, remember? i've known how to fight since i was like, five." Remy said with a smirk. </p><p>"I think it's about time i show you guys how to use these." He pulled out the dagger with one swift movement. </p><p>"We already know how to use those." Janus said, rolling his eyes. </p><p>"Sure, you know how to dodge and how to defend, but you don't know how to attack." Remy said, "You've only ever defended with a weapon, you use magicks to attack." </p><p>"However, if we get into some sort of big fight or whatever, your magicks is only going to get you so far. You need as much skill as possible." </p><p>Janus sighed, "Yeah yeah, listen, we didn't have time to learn to fight, we just had to stop ourselves getting killed or arrested, in which case, would of gotten us killed." </p><p>"Almost did get us killed." Virgil added in a mumble. </p><p>"Well then, we better get to it." </p><p>--</p><p>"Remy... uh, listen, i know that it's important to be able to defend ourselves, but..." Patton tapped Remy gently on the shoulder, trying to voice his concerns. </p><p>"Patton, i know you don't want to hurt anyone, but you might not be able to avoid it. You need to know just in case you need it, alright?" Remy said, trying to give the prince an encouraging smile. </p><p>Patton still looked unsure, but nodded and moved back anyways. Remy turned around and faced them all, "Okay, so, the basics..."</p><p>Remy did a lot of explaining, leaving them all bored out of there minds. Finally, he got to demonstrating. </p><p>"Alright, so, Remus doesn't have a dagger right now, mostly because i'm scared to give him one, but also, he has his tentacles, which, as Logan has previously mentioned, can be used for combat." Remy explained. </p><p>Remus grinned, he hadn't put the tentacles away from before, so they were still out, swinging around. </p><p>Remy gave his a small nod, and Remus immediately went at him. It took the others by surprise, but Remy quickly dodged, sliding behind Remus. </p><p>One of Remus' tentacles shot out to grab him but Remy was somehow quicker, swinging around and gaining himself a clear shot of Remus' back between the tentacles. He made a stab but stopped right before it hit the other. </p><p>"Oo, i wonder what it would be liked if you actually stabbed me!" Remus said with a creepy giggle. </p><p>"Not fun. Being stabbed is not fun." Janus said, looking at him sternly.</p><p>"Do you know from experience?"</p><p>Janus raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't supply an answer. Remus was bubbling with questions, but Remy placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a look that basically said, <span class="u"><em>Don't</em></span>.</p><p>"Okay, so, i'm just going to show you four how to do a basic dodge first." Remy said to Logan, Emile, Patton and Roman. </p><p>"So..."</p><p>--</p><p>A few hours later, and they were all exhausted. </p><p>"Okay, let's wrap it up." Remy said with a laugh.</p><p>"Hold on." Roman turned to Virgil, who looked at him questioningly, "I've still got a little energy left, and since Remy banned arguing, how about we get our hate for eachother out in a different way?" </p><p>Virgil smirked at him, "You sure princey?" </p><p>Roman grinned, "Sure am." </p><p>Remy sighed and rolled his eyes, "If i see any blood, i'm gonna be mad." </p><p>With that, he and the others left, leaving Virgil and Roman alone. </p><p>"Okay but don't actually stab me." Roman added quickly. Virgil laughed and rolled his eyes, "Fine."</p><p>"But you know, it's more fun with the risk of deat-" Virgil couldn't finish his sarcastic joke before Roman was already pinning him down. </p><p>He quickly grabbed the dagger and shot it upwards, making Roman move back. </p><p>"I thought i said no stabbing!" Roman said with a gasp. "Calm down Princey." Virgil said, rolling his eyes.</p><p>He lunged forward, Roman dodged out of the way. He slipped behind Virgil and went for a punch but Virgil spun around and grabbed his arm. </p><p>Roman's leg shot out, causing Virgil to wince and let go of his arm. He took the chance and dived forward, pinning Virgil down once again.</p><p>A grin spread across his face as the other struggled below him, "Looks like i win." </p><p>"Shut up princey! now get off!" </p><p>"Hm... how about <em>no</em>?" </p><p>"Roman! get off me right now!" Virgil continued to struggle, but Roman had a surprisingly strong grip. </p><p>"How are you stronger than me?!" He hissed. Roman laughed, "Ha! listen, i may not know how to fight, but atleast i'm <em>healthy</em>. You, on the other hand, are a scrawny stick." </p><p>Virgil hissed at him, like, an actual hiss this time, not like you would when your talking, like an angry cat would. Roman, caught by surprise, released his grip. Virgil immediately moved away, glaring at him. </p><p>"You.... you actually fucking <em>hissed</em> at me." </p><p>"Wait, are you a cat?" Silence followed the question. </p><p>"Excuse me, what?" Virgil said finally, looking at him like he was insane. </p><p>"You know like, don't magicks user have some sort of... animal.. thing?" Roman asked with a shrug. </p><p>"I... well, yeah, but i can assure you i am not any kind of cat." Virgil said, sighing heavily. </p><p>"Shame, if you could turn into a cat, that would make you a whole lot cuter." Roman said, finally standing up and brushing himself off. </p><p>Virgil glared at him, getting up also. Roman smirked back. </p><p>"Okay, well, i'm done for today." Virgil said loudly, before walking off. Roman snickered to himself, "Bye-bye kitty cat!" He called out. </p><p>Virgil turned his head to shoot him a glare, before he disappeared. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>is this short? it feels short i'm sorry- </p><p>lel so anyways- the prinxiety has BEGUN- only took 19 chapters it's fine- this slowburn thing is exhausting- like- okay, so i have a lot of character plot points and stuff, but not enough story plot points, you know? it's kinda hard. Like, for example, i have Janus' like big plot point and such all planned out, but like, they're nowhere near close character development wise. So its like AAAAA- kinda why Remus backstory was just shoved in, because- i didn't know where to put it or what to do with it?? idk- also, THANKS FOR OVER 2000 HITS OMG! &lt;3 &lt;3</p><p>one last thing, if you like this story, then i have good news- uh, considering how this is going so far, it's probably going to wind up being like- 50 chapters long- maybe more- i- there's so much to get through- but yeah- okay, i'm gonna shut up now, hope you enjoyed, this entire chapter was written today and most of the chapters are all written on one day and then posted because im awful at this- OKAY BYEEEE-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. A Twisted Grin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This one's short, i'm sorry. Kinda just needed to move along, plus get a Logan and Patton moment. It's weird because i imagine that they've been talking with each other this whole time, it's just... we've been focused on the others? so- yeah- writing eight characters + thomas and james + the ships all at once is DiFFicult</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Logan was not one for sudden changes, or loud people, or people in general. He wasn't fond on being on a ship almost constantly, and most definitely wasn't fond of the people he was on a ship with. </p><p>But he would do almost anything to get information no one else knew about, new, interesting, undiscovered things that were waiting to be discovered by him!</p><p>And although he wasn't exactly having the time of his life, being around three magicks users almost constantly was a blessing inside of the outer curse.</p><p>It was difficult, due to the chaotic nature of Remus and the fact that neither Virgil nor Janus really would talk to him, but he still had learned things no one else knew about, fascinating things!</p><p>Once Remy had told him that Janus could turn into a giant snake, Logan immediately went to him and persisted long enough to get Janus to turn into his snake form.</p><p>It was quick, but Logan was completely entranced by it. It was smooth and scaly, truly like a real snake only much bigger, fangs and all. </p><p>He was desperate to find out <em>why</em> magicks users had these abilities, where they came from, and did all magicks users have them? were they personal somehow?</p><p>He was so rapidly scribbling down his thoughts in his notebook, he didn't even notice Patton come into the room. </p><p>"Heya Logan! whatcha workin' on?" He asked, smiling as he took a seat across from the scholar.</p><p>"I'm just writing down all my ideas and thoughts upon magicks, i want to figure out everything about them." Logan said, not taking his eyes off the paper.</p><p>"Ooo, it is pretty interesting isn't it? Although, the tentacles are kind of scary. Plus, the snake sounds scary too!" Patton shuddered a little, Remus' previous prank had <em>not</em> settled well with him. Nothing about Remus did. But Patton was too kind to say that to his face. </p><p>"Hm, yes, i can see how they would be frightening. I suppose i didn't really notice the danger aspect." Logan mused, finally looking up from his notebook.</p><p>"What? you weren't even a little scared?" Patton asked, somewhat in awe. </p><p>"Why i suppose the fear would of been logical, i was momentarily distracted." Logan shrugged. Patton was looking at him with a look he hadn't seen before, "What?" </p><p>Patton blinked in surprise, "Huh?" </p><p>"Your... looking at me strangely." Logan said, raising an eyebrow. Patton blinked again before bursting out into giggles. </p><p>"I can't believe your best friends with <em>Roman</em>!" Patton said through his giggle fit, "You're complete opposites!"</p><p>Logan sighed, it was true. Roman was dramatic and extroverted, he loved people and having people love him back, which gave him a <em>little</em> bit of an ego. <em>No</em>. Logan mentally corrected himself, a<em> very big ego.</em></p><p>While he prefered to keep to himself, struggled to understand emotions and social situations, and he loved to learn. The two were practically opposites, but the dynamic worked.</p><p>While Roman was being overdramatic, Logan would be there to use common sense and calm him down. While Logan struggled to understand something emotional, Roman was there to help him understand it. </p><p>Logan felt a small smile creep onto his face as he recalled a few fond memories with the prince, but he quickly pulled himself back into the present.</p><p>"Hm, yes, you are correct. However, i've found that at certain times, his company is rather nice." Logan said. Patton smiled sweetly at him, "Aw, that's so cute."</p><p>"You know, it's strange. It's been a while since i've thought about that dreaded wedding, it... it would of been happening in about... three days." Patton said, suddenly realizing where he could of been right now.</p><p>Panicked, stressed, miserable, probably crying. Days away from throwing all of what little freedom he had out of the window to marry someone he didn't have romantic love for. </p><p>"This... this whole thing has been so crazy! ... but although we're being chased by guards, i'm still more free than i've ever been..." Patton said slowly.</p><p>"I.... i suppose so. I know that even Roman, someone so suited to a prince role, still found the stress in the royal life rather often. I can imagine it was even harder for you." Logan said, nodding slightly. </p><p>Patton looked up at him and offered a small, sad smile. "Yeah... not my thing. I guess.... well.. i'm not sure if i'm out of the woods yet, i'm not sure what is going to happen or even how this will end." </p><p>Logan nodded slowly, what they were going to do at the end of all of this was a question no one had answered and one that was generally avoided. </p><p>Because there was no good answer. Either leave Virgil and Janus to go, never to see them again or know what happens to them, plus then have to go back, probably end up getting killed, and Roman and Patton being forced to marry.</p><p>Or,</p><p>They all leave, leaving their entire lives behind, forever on the run, only having eachother to trust.</p><p>Could they really keep running from Avia and Deria forever? surely they would get caught eventually? Leaving your own region was completely unheard off, a total no-go, maybe they wouldn't be followed?</p><p>Whatever happened, it didn't seem like a good ending was an option.</p><p>--</p><p>Cloudtown. James sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. God, he hated this town. </p><p>Their ship was barely welcomed, they recieved dirty stares from everyone, it was practically silent, none of these people would let a thing slip. </p><p>James sent his guards out to try and get information, also making his way through the town himself.</p><p>He knocked on door to door, but he either wouldn't get an answer, or would get cold, dry, unhelpful replies to every question he asked. </p><p>Although in the moment it was annoying to him, he also admired how this town worked and built itself up. </p><p>It was well known for being like a vault, nothing that went in ever came out, secrets remained secrets, no matter what you did. </p><p>And he got the feeling one of those secrets had to do with the people he was searching for. </p><p>He grimaced as he continued walking through the town. People were either avoiding eye contact or looking at him suspiciously, all silent apart from the whispers. </p><p>As he walked past a shop in the street, something caught his eye. There was boxes of clothes lying outside, presumably old ones.</p><p>One of the things sticking out however was a very distinct, icky green, strange looking suit jacket. </p><p>James knew that jacket. How could he forget? The insane man it belonged too was imprinted on his mind for eternity. </p><p>His grin slowly grew as he went over and pulled the jacket from the box. Even if the princes weren't with the duke, he could atleast find and question the weirdo. <em>If i'm lucky, the king and queen will let me get rid of him.</em></p><p>Suit jacket in hand, he turned and began making his way back to the ship. <em>I've got you now. I can't wait to get your blood on my hands. </em></p><p>--</p><p>As soon as he was back, he immediately heading for the cell where Thomas was. He wasn't going to waste anymore time. </p><p>The door creaked open, sounding extremely loud in the almost silent room. It was almost completely dark, little light being able to get it. It only held three cells, and only one of them was occupied. </p><p>Thomas looked up instantly, shuffling back upon seeing James' face. The act only made James happier, he was going to start aching from smiling too much! </p><p>He grabbed the witch's staff from the wall and slowly walked over to the cell. "Look what i found." He said in a sing-song tone, yet it still sounded cold. </p><p>He grinned and held out the jacket, soaking in the way Thomas' face paled. He grabbed the keys and unlocked the cell door, stepping inside. </p><p>"Try any funny business and you <em>will</em> regret it." James hissed. Thomas slowly took the staff and jacket from him, shaking slightly. </p><p>He took a deep breath and placed the jacket down on the ground, then pointed his staff at it. </p><p>Flowery pink essence leaked out, slowly making its way to the jacket and surrounding it. Thomas closed his eyes, focusing, and suddenly an image popped into his mind.</p><p>The essence disappeared and he opened up his eyes again. His gaze stayed on the ground for a moment before looking back up at James.</p><p>"Their near Mindvale. They'll get their tomorrow." </p><p>James' twisted smile grew even wider. </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-</p><p>lol rip remus u ded</p><p>Patton and Logan's conversation is kind of awfully written i'm sorry this chapter was just needed to move things along-</p><p>oo! one more thingggg! so, i finally got off my lazy ass and started the drawing i've wanted to do of the characters since the beginning- its gonna take a while but yeahhh- my art skills aren't amazing, but hopefully it'll turn out decent! okay, toodles! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. A Magicks Obsession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The group visits Mindvale.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One minute, everything was normal. </p><p>Remus was being remus-y, Janus was telling him to be quiet, Logan was writing, Patton was making a small braid out of Roman's hair, Virgil was ignoring them all, and Remy and Emile were just talking.</p><p>The next minute, Remus was doubled over, pink flowering essence ghostly hanging around him. </p><p>It was very unsettling to see Remus in pain but luckily it only lasted a moment. Remy rushed over, looking panicked. </p><p>"Shit shit shit." He mumbled, he sank down and Remus fell unconscious onto him. </p><p>"Holy crap what the fuck?!" Janus spat out. Remy looked up at him with a grim look, "That was a tracking spell. Someone is tracking us." </p><p>A chorus of <em>"What!?"</em> followed and panic filled the room. Janus bent down next to Remy and scanned Remus over, an undecipherable look flashing in his eyes. </p><p>Remy sighed and gently let Remus down, till he was lying on the ground. "Don't you think you should like.. put him in bed something?" Emile asked. </p><p>"He's Remus, he'll be fine." Remy said with a shrug, then stood up and turned to face the others. </p><p>"Okay. Whoever just tracked Remus is probably after you guys, and it's mostly likely someone  from Avia or Deria. I doubt their right on our tails or anything, but they have a clear view of where we're headed." He said, his serious tone kicking in.</p><p>"Should we change course from Mindvale?" Logan asked. Remy shook his head, "No. We need to stop or we're all going to loose our minds, plus we need some more food. Besides, they can just keep tracking us. Doesn't matter where we go, we just have to make sure we stay on track and try to outrun them." </p><p>Panic was replaced with dread in the room, another layer of danger had just been put on top of it all. </p><p>--</p><p>They were almost at Mindvale the next morning, Remus had regained consciousness, not at all seeming fazed by the what looked like horrific pain he had been in.</p><p>"Isn't Mindvale a rather... magicks intrigued town?" Logan asked Remy. Remy nodded his head, "Yeah, there uh, pretty magicks obsessed." </p><p>Logan glanced over at the three magicks users in the room, "We have three magicks users with us. Both kinds. And three is probably half of the magicks users in this entire region." He said flatly. </p><p>Remy nodded his head again, slower this time, "Yep..." </p><p>The two exchanged a look. This was going to be a long trip.</p><p>--</p><p>"Hi there! welcome to Mindvale!" A cheery looking face welcomed them as soon as they stepped foot into the town. </p><p>She had curly red hair, and was practically bouncing up and down. She grinned widely, leaning over slightly to look at Remus, Janus and Virgil standing near the back of the group.</p><p>"You guys are Magicks users, right?" She asked excitedly. Remus matched her grin, "Sure are! you wanna see something totally gross and magical!?" </p><p>She nodded her head vigorously, almost like she hadn't heard the gross part. Before anyone could stop him, Remus had his tentacles out, swinging all over the place.</p><p>She gasped, completely in awe, "That's AMAZING! Come in come in!" She gestured for them to follow as she lead them into the town, still practically bouncing.</p><p>The town was buzzing with people, but they all stopped and stared, gasped and awed upon seeing the three magicks users entire the town.</p><p>Purple hair, (Although, that wasn't Virgil's natural hair colour, the townspeople didn't know that) Tentacles and scales were a big "Hey look, MAGICKS!" </p><p>"Is there any particular reason you guys are here?" The curly haired girl asked, suddenly turning around.</p><p>"Oh uh, we need some more supplies, specifically food." Emile said, stepping forward. </p><p>"Oh alright! hey listen, i can take a few of you to get your supplies, but can the magicks users stay around here a while? all of these people love magicks, being able to talk to you would be a dream come true for them!" The girl said, eyes lit up.</p><p>"SURE CAN DO!" Remus loved to have his tentacles out, plus, he could a lot of stuff with them, although, the SFW stuff was limited. </p><p>The girl smiled, "Alright, let's go." Emile and Remy followed her while the others stayed behind, townspeople gathering around, marveling at the tentacles. </p><p>"This is great." Virgil mumbled sarcastically. Some smaller children came running up to him, "Are you a magicks person?!" </p><p>"Uh, yeah." Virgil shrugged awkwardly. The kids faces lit up, "Can you show us something?" </p><p>Virgil shrugged again, "I guess." He tried to think of a simple harmless spell, and suddenly they were surrounded by small twinkling spheres of light, meant to light up a dark place, but it worked as a little light show too. </p><p>The purple colour flooded the area, earning more gasps and awes. Janus looked at him with a smirk. "Shut up." Virgil hissed at him.</p><p>"I didn't say anything." Janus said, somehow smirking even more. Virgil rolled his eyes and groaned, but he had to admit, seeing the delighted look on the children's faces made him smile, just a little.</p><p>--</p><p>"So, are you guys travelers or something?" The red haired girl asked as she took them to the market place.</p><p>"Well, yeah i guess." Remy said with a shrug, "We just like exploring new places, you know?"</p><p>"Sounds like fun! Say, while you're here, you guys should visit Mx. Talyn!" The girl said, turning her head to look at them hopefully.</p><p>"Mx. Talyn? who are they, like, the ruler or something?" Remy asked, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>"I guess so, they're a powerful witch, but they are pretty much incharge, yeah." The girl shrugged. </p><p>"A witch incharge of a magicks obsessed town?" Remy said with a questioning look. </p><p>"Well, i mean, you're a witch, aren't you? are you not interested in magicks?" The girl asked. </p><p>Remy blinked, "Well... my best friend is a magicks user, he told me about it and i was pretty satisfied with just that knowledge." </p><p>"Hm. Well, Mx. Talyn wants to be the most powerful witch they can be, they want to know how close a witch can get to a spells magicks user!" The girl turned and grinned at them, "Okay, we're here!" </p><p>They got they things they needed, thanked her, and made their way back to the group. </p><p>"Hey Remy... can i ask you about something?" Emile asked as they were walking back.</p><p>"Sure, what's up babes?" </p><p>"Uh... so, being a witch can be learned, right?" Emile wasn't exactly sure how witchcraft worked, but Remy had mentioned it was a learnable practice.</p><p>"Sure can, although it's not easy, why'd ya ask?" Remy looked at him, eyebrow raised. </p><p>"Well... could you teach me? i know maybe it's a lot to ask, but honestly, i feel pretty useless in this whole thing. I know you've been teaching us how to defend ourselves and all, but, i'd love to be able to do some spells too!" </p><p>Remy grinned, "Sure, i can. Although, i wasn't kidding when i said it wasn't easy. It takes a long time to learn sugar." </p><p>"Really!? thanks so much Remy!" Emile stopped and jumped in for a hug, "Woah there!" Remy chuckled, wrapping his arms around Emile. </p><p>--</p><p>"So, she said we should visit the person who runs this place, Mx. Talyn." Remy was catching up the group on what the red haired girl had said. </p><p>"Honestly, this whole place is giving off a sketchy vibe." Janus grumbled, "Their too.... <em>smiley.</em>" </p><p>"Oh hush, your just dull! i say we go meet this Mx. Talyn!" Roman said. "I agree! this town is lovely, i say we pay them a visit!" Patton said, nodding. </p><p>"Alright, uh, we kinda need to know their location though." </p><p>"That might be it." Virgil said flatly, pointing up at the sparkling huge tower at the Town's edge. </p><p>--</p><p>The whole tower leaked of witchy magical energy, the trees surrounding it varied in colour, the path filled with fancy flowers you wouldn't see regularly. </p><p>"They're definitely showy." Remy mumbled. Upon reaching the tower door, the magical energy took a more... witchy turn. </p><p>Wilting black flowers that seemed to be actually leaking some sort of black goo, the grass turned a darker more emerald green, and a skull hung over the door.</p><p>Logan reached his hand out to knock but the door swung open without him even touching it. </p><p>He blinked, "Hello?" No answer. It was dark inside, a few candles lit. He took a cautious, slow step forward. </p><p>"HEY! don't enter a person's house without permission!" A voice suddenly hissed. Appearing before them with a poof, a red haired witch with a green witch's hat and dark brown eyes.</p><p>"I-" They opened their mouth to say something else but cut themselves off upon seeing the magicks users.</p><p>"Oh my stars you're MAGICKS USERS!" They rushed forward, practically knocking Logan, Patton and Roman aside to get to the three magicks users.</p><p>"Oo look at those scales! and the tentacles!" They gasped. Remus grinned, "Impressive, huh?" </p><p>"Yes! oh, this is so exciting! come come, would you guys like something to drink? i can make tea." </p><p>Janus looked around the room, it was filled wall to wall with bookshelves, the whole place was filled with essence, he could feel it. </p><p>They seemed to be a very powerful witch after all, and very friendly too. But he couldn't help but feel something was off.</p><p>He turned to look at Virgil next to him, who seemed to feel it too. "Oh! what kind are you all?" Talyn asked.</p><p>"Me and snakey are power magicks, and virgin over there is spell magicks." Remus said, he used one of the tentacles to reach over to Virgil, wrap around his waist and pull him closer. </p><p>"Aaaah! fantastic!" Talyn rushed forward, getting way to close to Virgil for his personal space likings. </p><p>"I'm so excited to have you here!" </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A LOT HAPPENED HERE WOW</p><p>i was rereading the comments (don't judge me, they r my pride and joy) and i realized I FORGOT ABOUT THEIR FLOWER CROWNS-</p><p>okay, let's say they put them away safe because ofc. lil thingy i guess, a lil bonus: Virgil has been using magicks to keep the flowers alive this entire time, i might chip this into the story somewhere hehe-</p><p>Plus i forgot Remy got coffee- me forgetting shit about my characters like-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Precious Purple</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things aren't always what they seem.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>!IMPORTANT NOTE!</p><p>Soo- uh- Virgil and Janus are now brothers- AAA- i know, i know- it's annoying to change something like that so late in the story but i had too for backstories purposes it just made more sense- so- AHhh- (yes, i went back and changed things in previous chapters)</p><p>yeah sorry i'm annoying, but i hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I've been studying magicks for a long time. I've only ever met a couple other magicks users, power based." Talyn informed them as they let the group up the winding staircase.</p><p>"Truly, it's interesting. The ability to summon elemental power like that, amazing! and the animal like features are fantastic!" </p><p>"There's not a lot of history or research on them, although i've recorded all my findings." They reached the top of the staircase, a room full of potions and more shelves of books sat, also including a messy desk with a huge bulky book on top. </p><p>"However... i've found spells based magicks is... a lot more mysterious." They blew the dust of the top of the book and flicked it open. </p><p>"I've never met a spell magicks user before, i've never found one before. In all my research i've ever heard of a few, and there's barely anything on them. No document on any sort of abnormal features or abilities." They turned to Virgil, "Is the purple hair natural?"</p><p>Virgil shook his head, "No, i used a spell to change it." Talyn sighed, "I don't know if it's just a coincidence, or if the abnormal features is a power based thing only." </p><p>"These, truly are magnificent." They gently brushed a hand over one of Remus' tentacles, "I just wonder why it works so differently for spell magicks users."</p><p>"What do you mean?" Logan asked, he took a few steps forward, he was itching to look through that book. </p><p>"Well, a spells magicks user can power drain themselves, use all of their power at once, even though it's only been used for healing in the past, i believe it can be used for much more."</p><p>They took a few steps closer to Virgil, "What if you were to power drain yourself using a healing spell on someone gone, what if you could bring them back? What if you used a harmful spell, it could be an instant kill." </p><p>"No one's ever tried it. I believe spells based magicks is more rare because while you can do whatever with power based, it's never permanent. Spells based magicks.. is permanent, no matter what you do with it." </p><p>The room became silence upon the realization. "I... hadn't thought of it like that." Virgil said quietly. It was... a lot to take in. The air in the room had become heavy, still silent until Talyn cleared their throat, a smile appearing on their face, "So, you said you were interested in my research?" </p><p>--</p><p>"Bye! thank you for having us!" They waved and said their goodbyes as they left the tower. </p><p>"Goodbye." Virgil turned his head, Talyn's voice sounded... different as they said their goodbye. He was right outside the door, he saw a flash and green and purple before the door slammed behind him.</p><p>"Virge?" Janus stopped and turned to see what was holding the other up. Virgil looked at him, "We need to get out of here, now."</p><p>"What?" he had caught the attention of the rest of the group, who were looking at him questioningly.</p><p>"We need to get out. Now." Virgil repeated, more firmly. There was confusion, but the serious tone of Virgil's voice and the look on his face was enough to get them moving.</p><p>As they made their way back into the town, the air had changed, everything felt darker, more intense. The streets were empty and everything was silent. </p><p>"What's going on...?" Patton asked in a whisper, his pace slowing. "We can't stop, this place - something's going on here." Virgil urged.</p><p>"What exactly-?" Roman cut himself off, hearing footsteps. People were reappearing, but they weren't the same.</p><p>Walking like mindless zombies, with intense glowing purple and green eyes. "What the fuck..?" Remy moved back, pulling out his staff. </p><p>"What happened to them?" Emile asked, looking at the previously bubbly and happy townspeople with horror. </p><p>"It's... it's some sort of dark creature magic? i'm not sure..." Remy said with a nervous shrug. </p><p>"Let's move while their still slow!" Virgil hissed. Now all realizing the danger, they began moving forward faster, heading for the town gates.</p><p>"Not so fast." A dark, deep voice echoed around them. Talyn appeared infront of them once again with a flash, only it was clear that however Talyn was, this wasn't them. </p><p>One green eye, one purple, the voice of a shadow. "I have waited <em>so long</em> for a spells magicks user to pass through here. Nothing. And finally, i found one." </p><p>The creature grinned wide, revealing razor sharp teeth. They were suddenly surrounded, the entire town with those eyes. </p><p>"Why the hell do you want one so bad anyways!?" The creature moved forward, somehow grinning even wider in response. They pulled out a staff, "I learnt witchcraft. It took me a long time, but i became powerful. I learned how to control an entire town of people." </p><p>They suddenly pointed their staff at the group, "And some other handy spells aswell." Their green, wavy essence formed around the group, excluding Virgil, lifting them off the ground.</p><p>The creature swiftly swung their staff to the side, and the essence followed, crashing them into a wall. </p><p>"You-" Virgil moved forward but was immediately pulled back, four of the controlled townspeople holding him down. </p><p>"All i have to do, is control you, and get you to use that power drain of yours on a controlling spell yourself. I could get control over an<em> entire kingdom</em>! And here you are, having been wasting all that power on <em>nothing</em>."</p><p>Virgil looked up over at the others, they were atleast conscious, although probably injured. He saw Remy sit up, an idea suddenly forming in his mind.</p><p>"You're right. I should use it." The creature raised an eyebrow, smirking. </p><p>"Remy! make a shield around you guys, NOW!" He called out. Remy looked over at him, "What-?"</p><p>"NOW!" </p><p>"What are you doing-?" Before the creature could finish it's question, impact hit. </p><p>There was a blaring sound, followed by dust from the gravel below covering everything. </p><p>The group only being protected by Remy's grey translucent shield spell, formed like a dome over them. It dropped quickly, having being made so fast and when Remy was hurt and exhausted, but it did the job.</p><p>As the dust cleared, they could see what happened. The entire town was knocked out, all laying unconsciously on the ground. </p><p>Including the creature which started it all. It's disguising form had melt away, leaving it's true form to be seen. A jett black, gooey and digusting creature. </p><p>Not to far from it, lay Virgil's also unconscious body. "Virgil!" Janus rushed over, despite the fact his leg hurt like hell. </p><p>"What did he... do?" Emile asked cautiously. "Seems like he took that things advice.." Remy replied. He bent down, taking one of the townspeople's wrists, "They're still alive, don't worry." </p><p>"Even with a power drain, i don't think anyone can kill that many people at once." </p><p>Janus pulled Virgil off the ground, "We need to go before anything or anyone wakes up." </p><p>--</p><p>The town was quiet as James entered through the gates. A few people around, but they looked distressed.</p><p>"What the hell happened here?" He muttered to himself, Mindvale looked like a deadtown. </p><p>"Hey, you." He called out to get the attention of one of the townspeople, but the person only flashed him a look of fear before running off.</p><p>"What the..." He noticed the few other people around him looking at him cautiously, something had gone down here, clearly.</p><p>"Have any of you seen the princes of Avia and Deria around here?" He asked out loud, raising an eyebrow.</p><p>The people disappeared, apart from one, who shook their head at him, "N-no.. sorry, we don't know much about royalty here.." </p><p>James sighed in frustration, slamming his foot down. The person squeaked before disappearing also. </p><p>"They must be further ahead than we thought..." James groaned and exited the town, truly, he didn't care to know what had happened if they didn't have any information for him.</p><p>He began walking back to his ship, but stopped when he saw a flash of something go by.</p><p>"Who's there?" He demanded, pulling out his sword. A cackle came from behind him, and he turned around to see the dark creature.</p><p>"What the hell are you?" James spat. The creature grinned, "I could be helping you."</p><p>"What do you mean..?" James asked. "You're looking for the missing princeys, aren't you? i've seen them." </p><p>James moved forward, still holding out his sword, "Where?" </p><p>"Here, a few days ago... ruined my whole thing i had going on with their little group. I can be real helpful you know." </p><p>"Pft, how exactly?" James scoffed, he doubted this thing could be of much help to him.</p><p>The creature grinned once more, before suddenly it's form changed, and James was staring right back at himself.</p><p>"Shapeshifting is pretty neat, huh? i only ask for one thing in return." </p><p>James looked the creature up and down, "What do you want?" </p><p>"One of those magicks users, the spell one. I don't even need him permanently, you can kill him after i'm done for all i care." The creature stuck out it's dripping hand, "What do you say?"</p><p>James stared at it for a moment, "Deal." </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ya'll im bad at writing-</p><p>ANyWaYS-</p><p>Soo... this world has dark creatures now- uh- yeah-</p><p>i haven't really decided fully on what they are yet. Okay, so, they all have those eyes, and they all can shapeshift plus they come in different forms. They don't really have powers, this one learned witchcraft, so it was using spells. and yeah- don't worry talyn is safe i didn't ruin them, let's just say the real talyn is off somewhere... traveling or something, their good don't worry-</p><p>Also like- listen i know Virgil over here seeming a bit op, but like... he is completely out for like 8-10 hours after he uses that power drain sO- i wanted to try and get the balance for something interesting happening, but not something super huge or intense, and i think i got it? their like.. all kinda injured now, uh, it was a... pretty nearby wall so they didn't get slammed... to hard- idk THIS IS A FANTASY WORLD SHUT UP KAREN- </p><p>okay i'm going i thought of the idea for this chapter finally at 1am last night and i couldn't sleep and AAA- okay byEEEEE-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Royally Red But Bitterly Blue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This one is a little different, the first part is anyways.</p><p>A prince's life is hell is basically the summary.</p><p>And, a bit of the aftermath.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The life of a royal isn't an easy one. There were more rules than you could ever imagine, everything was about your reputation. </p><p>For Roman, acting like the perfect prince in front of others came easier. Acting came naturally to him, even if behind closed doors he was more of a dramatic emotional mess.</p><p>For the most part, he enjoyed the luxuries of a princely life, and the adoring attention. But there were... less fabulous parts of the life.</p><p>His parents, no matter how much he lied to himself that they did, didn't care. He could have any material thing he wanted, but the love and attention of his parents was not given.</p><p>He always told himself they were loving him in there own way, with gifts and such, but deep down he knew. When they announced he was going to be married to Prince Patton, everything came crashing down.</p><p>He begged, screamed, pleaded and threw a whole tantrum but nothing changed. He kept trying to change their minds, until they had had enough. </p><p>Yelling, screaming and words that would forever haunt him followed. The worst part was it he knew it wasn't said out of anger, that's what they really thought of him.</p><p>So he kept quiet. To them, anyways. Many nights were spent in the cycle of complaining to Logan, panicking to Logan, and crying into Logan's arms. </p><p>He didn't know what he would of done if he had no one to confide in, even if his royal advisor's emotional understanding was lacking. </p><p>All he really wanted was to be free to make his own choices for once, but that would never happen. He couldn't escape the princes life, no matter what he did.</p><p><br/>
For Patton, it was never easy. He wasn't good at acting or lying, he wasn't meant to be a prince. But of course, it wasn't up to him.</p><p>His father was bitter, not wanting much to do with him most of the time. His mother usually spent too much time fussing over him, never wanting him to go anywhere alone, not even for a walk around the castle.</p><p>Although Emile was technically his royal advisor, he had mostly been hired by Patton's mother to be a babysitter. </p><p>Patton was dreading it, however, he was pleasantly surprised to find Emile's respect for him as an adult, not as a child. </p><p>The two became close pretty quickly, Patton didn't mind having to have Emile follow him around constantly, he was welcomed company.</p><p>When he was told he was to be married to Prince Roman, he didn't know what to do. At that point, he didn't know Roman that well. </p><p>How could he marry him? why wasn't marriage <em>his</em> choice? He went to his mother, but she told him that unfortunately, he had too.</p><p>But the news that Patton didn't want to marry Roman reached his father, and even more restrictions were put on the prince. </p><p>The pressure from everyone talking about their engagement was crushing.</p><p>The wedding planning, the talk of all of it was suffocating. They talked like it was a celebration, but it was a trap.</p><p>It was a life sentence, it wasn't a choice, it wasn't a wondrous occasion, it wasn't going to be the happiest day of their lives.</p><p>They got to know each other, and the realization nothing romantic was between them came fast.</p><p>It wouldn't be so bad, except the fact that they knew everything was going to be very public. They would be expected and required to act like a couple almost constantly for a long time before things settled down, and even then, things wouldn't be good.</p><p>Because they would have lost what little freedom they had. They would have to stay together, be forced to live together and act like they loved eachother, never have the chance to find someone they really did love. </p><p>There was the other problem, kingdoms. Even more came crashing down when Patton's parents announced they were going to try and have another baby, since they would need someone to be the ruler of Deria when they passed.</p><p>Patton felt like he was an object, he was being sold off and then he was going to be replaced. He was probably barely even going to know his own sibling. </p><p>As the weeks passed, everything kept getting worse. More crushing. More pressure. Every single drop of the little freedom they had, their choices, their chances at love<em>, every single thing in their lives,</em> was dripping away. </p><p>And then the deadly duo showed up. Everything that followed, the insane adventure they went on, was the most freedom they'd ever had. </p><p>The risks and danger were constant, they could be found at any moment, but no one was telling them what to do, no one was making them smile even when it was fake, no one was putting that pressure on them.</p><p>--</p><p>Roman wasn't exactly sure why he found himself walking to check on Virgil, after all, they still didn't like each other. They constantly called eachother nicknames and generally didn't get along, yet here he was. </p><p>The youngest of the group wasn't awake yet the last time someone checked. It was only a few hours prior that they managed to convince Janus to leave the room for a while. </p><p>He was surprised to see Virgil sat up when he entered. Virgil looked up, "Oh, hey." </p><p>"Hey, when did you wake up?" Roman asked as he made his way over to the bed. Virgil shrugged, "I guess like, twenty minutes ago." </p><p>"Huh. You want me to go get Janus? he's pretty on edge. You kinda scared everyone with that." </p><p>Virgil's face morphed into a guilty one, "Yeah, i know it was kinda... i just couldn't think of anything else. What happened, anyways?" </p><p>"Well everyone was knocked out, so we just left. Not sure about that dark creature." Roman said, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. </p><p>"Huh. Well.. atleast it worked. I wasn't sure what would happen to be honest." Virgil mumbled. "How come your here anyways, i wasn't expecting you to be the first person here." </p><p>Roman rolled his eyes, "Coincidence, a few hours before or probably like ten minutes later and it would of been Janus. Remus is trying to distract him." </p><p>"Pft." Virgil scoffed, "Aren't i blessed to have the great Prince Roman here to check on me?" </p><p>"Yes, you are actually." Roman said, crossing his arms. Virgil scoffed, "You're never going to stop being such an egotistical princey, are you?" </p><p>Roman let him arms fall, looking down at the floor. It was silent for a moment before he looked back up at Virgil, "Oh, i don't know. I don't think i feel very princely anymore." </p><p>Virgil raised an eyebrow, "What? The great Prince Roman doesn't feel like a prince? you must be low on prince juice, you need someone to applaud you just for smiling?" </p><p>Roman chuckled softly, "Seriously though. I don't. Look at me! I don't look princely, and i certainly don't act princely anymore. The sparring, talking to a criminal like a.... friend, i guess." He shrugged. </p><p>Virgil blinked, "A what now?" </p><p>"A.... friend?" </p><p>The two stared at eachother silently for a moment. "I don't... feel like a prince. I feel like.... Roman." Roman said, breaking the silence. </p><p>"Well.. is Roman any less insufferable than the prince?" Virgil replied, a smirk appearing.  </p><p>"Ha ha. I'm going, goodbye Virgil." Roman said, sighing as he stood up. "Bye pri-" Virgil cut himself off from the nickname, "... Bye Roman." </p><p>Roman stopped from walking to the door and turned his head. A small smile appeared on his face, "Bye." </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Me: *doesn't post for like a week then gives u a short chapter*<br/>..<br/>I'm sorry-</p><p>IM THE KING OF PROCRASTINATION OKAY- I wrote the first part then i got stuck on the second part so- </p><p>Also, i know a promised a drawing but i'm... bad... at drawing- i did draw something but i kinda- hate it- you'll probably end up with a drawing of some kind even if its just one of the characters or smthn by the end of the fic lEl- sorry rip</p><p>You can stop reading here, i'm just gonna rant about somethin that has nothing to do about this-</p><p>OKAY SO LIKE INSTEAD OF FINISHING THIS IWAS WRITING SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE I HAD TOO-<br/>i have my own sides that i made a while ago and i was making some changes to them and then i realized my anxiety and my logic would be a cute couple and I WAS RIGHT THERE SO CUTE<br/>I GOT DISTRACTED BY THE CUTENESS ITS SO ADORABLE I CANT EVEN DESCRIBE IT AND I HAD TO WRITE SOMETHING WITH THEM AND IT WAS SO CU T E - OKAY LIKE- my anxiety (his name is rain) once he gets close enough to someone to trust them he's just- completely baby- and my logic (felix) is like pretty calm but then he sees  something soft and he just m e l t s- and rain is scared of thunder bcuz thunder makes me super anxious and THEY WERE CUDDLING BCUZ HE WAS SCARED AND ITS S O  C U T E- i can't- okay i'll shut up- anyways, if u read this then congrats you wasted your tiME-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Gratified Grey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This is mostly filler, i'm sorry. </p><p>Emile suggests they all play a game together, to open up and have some fun!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>"Remind me what exactly we're doing again?" Emile turned his head to look at Remy questioningly. Remy rolled his eyes with a smile, "You've got to connect to nature before we can do any other witch stuff." </p><p>He was using some sort of spell to lift some of the oceans water up to there level, it was floating before them, specifically Emile. "I told you, just put your hand in." </p><p>"Okay..." Emile cautiously put his hand into the bubble of water, part of him was scared it would spill but it didn't. It felt just like normally having your hand in water. </p><p>"Just focus."</p><p>"Focus on what, Remy?" Emile said, sounding a little more annoyed than he meant to. "The water, babes." </p><p>"Right... the water, sorry." Emile took a deep breath, closing his eyes to focus. It was quiet, all he could hear was the gushing of water and his own breathing. </p><p>He felt a slight tingling feeling on his fingertips, and suddenly colours flashed before him. He opened up his eyes and took a step back, "I- something happened!"</p><p>Remy smiled, "Hm?" </p><p>"I felt something, then i saw like... pink... and blue?" Emile tried to recall, "It felt weird..." </p><p>"It's progress!" Remy said, he lowered his staff slowly, the water followed, eventually reaching the ocean below and disappearing in. Remy pulled Emile into a hug, "I'm glad you wanted to learn, not a lot of people can be bothered with it." </p><p>Emile smiled at him, "I'm glad too." There was a moment of silence while they looked at eachother fondly... until it was cut short by yelling. </p><p>"GET YOUR SLIMY TENTACLES AWAY FROM ME!" </p><p>"But <em>Romaannn</em>." </p><p>"I WILL STAB YOU!" </p><p>Remy sighed heavily, "I swear to god." He said under his breath. "No matter how many times i say it, they will not just get ALONG." </p><p>Emile giggled, "You gonna go be their angry mother now?" </p><p>"God, i am sick of being the mother! i'm supposed to be the<em> wild man</em>! i'm cool, i'm impulsive and unpredictable!" </p><p>Emile smirked and raised an eyebrow, "Wild man, huh?" Remy crossed his arms, "Yes!" </p><p>"Well, <em>wild man</em>, your kids are fighting and there probably going to break something, so off you go!" </p><p>Remy mumbled angrily as he walked over the sound, and found Remus... being Remus, with his tentacles all over the place and running around like a maniac. Roman was there also, seemingly like had been trying to write something down, glaring. </p><p>"REMUS! shut up!" Roman hissed. "I'm bored!" Remus complained, one of the tentacles moved over to Roman, who quickly swatted it away. </p><p>"What are you two yelling about?" Remy asked upon entering. Roman looked up at him immediately, "Remus won't leave me alone!" </p><p><em>Oh god i really am their mother</em>... Remy sighed once more, "Remus, leave Roman alone."</p><p>"But i'm booooreeeed!" Remus whined. "Go annoy Janus." Roman said, still glaring intensely at Remus. </p><p>"He said, and i quote, 'If you don't leave me alone i will slit your throat in your sleep.' Of course, he didn't mean it, he could never, but i got the hint he wanted to be alone for a while, so i came to annoy you instead!" Remus chirped. </p><p>"Ugh!" Roman groaned, slamming his head into the table. "What did i say about being nice to eachother? you guys just can't get along for two minutes, can you?" Remy said, giving them both a death stare.</p><p>"Remy?" Emile came over, placing a hand on Remy's shoulder, "I have an idea of something we can do to bring everyone closer!" </p><p>And that's how they all found themselves sat around the table together, while Remy and Emile both stood, explaining why they were there.</p><p>"So, Emile had an idea. You guys still can't be civil, and Emile thought maybe it was because everyone's too stressed and uptight, and there's still a layer of lack of trust." Remy explained, "So, we're gonna play a game, everyone goes round and asks a question everyone <em>has</em> to answer." </p><p>"This sounds.. like crap. I'm out." Virgil said, going to get up, but Remy swooped round the table and stopped him. "It's not optional." Remy said with a slightly unsettling smile. </p><p>Virgil glared at him and reluctantly sat back down, crossing his arms across his chest. Remy moved back around, "Okay! i'm going to go first. And i have a <em>spicy</em> question." </p><p>"Tell us you're first kiss story!" </p><p>Remus scoffed, "What kind of spice is that? your boring! my question will be way better-" Remy cut him off, "Shush and just tell us you crazy rat man." </p><p>Remus grinned, "Oo, well, this also includes the story of how i lost my virginity-" Remy cut him off again, "Nope. Moving on, Janus?" </p><p>Janus blinked, "What? Oh... uh... nothing? i've never had a first kiss." Remy was surprised for a moment before he remembered that Janus probably didn't have time to kiss anyone while he was... you know... trying not to get killed. </p><p>"Oh right... so, Virgil, i'm guessing..." Virgil shook his head, "Nope." Remus leaned over to Janus, "If you want, i can change that.~" </p><p>Janus pushed him back, "No thanks." Remus shrugged, "I'll get there eventually." </p><p>"Alrighty. Roman?" Remy turned to the prince, hoping an interesting answer would finally come up. Roman seemed caught of guard, jumping and turning red. </p><p>"Uh... uhm...." Roman mumbled, his flustered face being quickly covered by his hands. Logan next to him sighed, "His first kiss was with me and frankly, it was terrible." </p><p>Shocked gasps filled the room. "Seriously?!" Remy asked, finally, an actual good story, "TELL US EVERYTHING." </p><p>Logan sighed again, "Well, Roman was having another one of his emotional affairs, when he suddenly started rambling on about how he'd never even kissed someone before." </p><p>"Then he asked if we could kiss, to know what it was like. I wasn't keen on the idea however, being his royal advisor, i was under his order-" Roman cut him off by slapping a hand over his mouth, "That's enough of that story!" </p><p>"Was it your first kiss too?" Remy asked Logan, who nodded, "Yes." Roman sighed, "I was being stupid. Plus, Logan's right, it was pretty bad. I mean, not the kissing itself, but you kinda need to have some chemistry with the other person." </p><p>Remy smirked, "Well that, was a <em>delightful</em> story." Roman groaned, hiding his face one more. "So, let's move onto Patton?" </p><p>Patton smiled, "No story, sorry. I haven't really had the chance." Remy sighed, <em>princes and criminals have a strange amount of things in common. </em></p><p>"Alright! Emile?" Remy turned to the man next to him, who started laughing awkwardly. "Well... we kind of just did out of pressure, everyone in our village had been kind of pushing us together since we were kids and you know, we were fourteen and just... yeah. It was awkward for both me and her." </p><p>Remy felt a weird feeling, like someone had just slapped him round the face, her? It wasn't like he was trying anything with Emile, but the realization he had assumed the others prefence hit hard. </p><p>"O-oh... that kinda sucks." Remy said, "Mine wasn't anything interesting really. You know, there was some cute boys in cloudtown!" </p><p>Emile smiled at him and laughed, "I bet you know where all the cute boys are." </p><p>Two minutes ago, Remy would of replied,<em> sure, one of them is standing right infront of me,</em> without a second thought, but he didn't. He suddenly felt like he was overstepping a lot of boundaries. </p><p>"Alright, Remus i'm skipping your question because i know it's going to be something disgusting, so, Janus, what's yours?" </p><p>Janus shrugged, "I don't know, can i be skipped to?" Remy frowned, "You're so boring. But fine, Virgil?" </p><p>Virgil hummed, "I don't know. How old are you all?" </p><p>"Boring question, but okay. I'm 23." Remy answered. </p><p>"22!" Emile answered with a smile, "Patton's 20." He added. Patton nodded to confirm. "I'm 20 too." Roman said. </p><p>"I am also 23." Logan answered, he looked over at Janus. "24." </p><p>"I'm 28!" Remus chirped. They all turned to look at him, "What?" </p><p>"You are a decade older than me." Virgil said in disbelief. "I'll have you know i'm very young, thank you very much virgin." </p><p>"Was not expecting you to be almost thirty." Janus scoffed. Remus smirked at him, "Almost thirty? Oo, Janus, do you like older men?"</p><p>"For joan's sake, do you ever stop being so dirty minded?" </p><p>"Nope!" </p><p>"Anyways, Roman, your question?" Remy turned to the red-headed man. "Hmm... who do you all think is the most attractive person here?"</p><p>"These questions are so <em>stupid</em>." Virgil said, rolling his eyes. "That's the point, they're supposed to be lighthearted!" Emile replied. </p><p>"I think you're very handsome Roman! i think you're handsome too Remy! plus, Janus is pretty attractive." Emile said with a giggle. </p><p>Janus raised an eyebrow at him, a light pink blush across his cheeks. "Awe, thanks Emile!" Roman gushed.</p><p>Remy gave an awkward laugh, <em>Okay, now i'm confused, is he into guys or what? </em></p><p>"I don't think we need to ask Remus." Emile added. Remus grinned at gave Janus a wink. Janus rolled his eyes and turned away, trying to ignore how he could feel his face going redder.</p><p>"I don't know, none of you are particularly pretty." Virgil said, looking to the side instead of at the others. "Mhm, <em>sure</em>." Remy said teasingly, "Roman?" </p><p>Roman opened his mouth to speak but stopped, he was going to say himself... but... "I don't know, this is surprisingly good looking group to be fair." </p><p>"Wow, surprised you didn't say yourself, wheres your ego gone? did it go missing?" Janus said, faking concern. Roman glared, "Ha ha." </p><p>"Hey Logan, who do you think is the cutest?" </p><p>Logan raised an eyebrow, "I thought we were rating attractiveness? there is a difference. Cuteness implies things that are pleasant to look at, kittens for example, attractiveness is about people that other people find desirable. If this is about cuteness, i must say that Patton is clearly the cutest out of all of us." </p><p>"That's fair, Patton is very cute." Patton giggled, "Really?" </p><p>"Your like a little puppy!" Roman said. "Agreed, adorable." Virgil added. Patton blushed, "Awe!" </p><p>"Patton, who you think is the most attractive?" Patton looked up, "Ooh! Well, while i agree with you that Janus has a very attractive face, he's very... scowly. No offence!" Janus sighed, "Whatever."</p><p>"All of you are beautiful! Roman is, Remy is, Logan's very handsome too! oh gosh you all have such nice faces!" </p><p>"You... you're not going to be able to pick are you?" Remy didn't even need an answer. "Oh and Virgil too! And Remus is beautiful in his own way!" </p><p>"Oh wait, i forgot to ask you Janus." Remy suddenly remembered, turning back to the snake scaled man. "I was hoping you wouldn't remember." Janus mumbled.</p><p>"Oh come on! who is it? tell us!" Remy leaned forward on the table, "Telll ussss!" </p><p>Janus hissed at him, and Remy moved back. Janus' snake like hiss was <em>scary</em>. "No one." </p><p>"Well that's just not true!" Emile said. </p><p>"No. One." </p><p>"You're so <em>booorinng</em>!" Remy groaned, "You won't join in at all!" </p><p>"Yeah because i don't<em> want to</em>." Remy had had enough, he pulled out his staff and pointed it at the other, "Answer."</p><p>"Are you serious? it's just a dumb game!" Janus said in disbelief. "Answer." Remy repeated, eyebrows furrowing deeper. </p><p>Janus sighed and rolled his eyes, "I can burn that staff you know." </p><p>"You have you gloves on, i can use a spell before you can get them off." Remy reminded him, "So answer." </p><p>"You are taking this stupidly seriously!" Remy didn't give a reply, and the others were all just staring at the situation, unsure if they were really seeing it before them.</p><p>"Ugh! god you're dumb! i don't know, i don't really find any of you particularly attractive! you want me to say some idiotic teenager shit like 'Wow, Remus is so hot!' or some shit, but i'm not a teenager and neither are you guys! this is stupid and it's not going to do <em>anything</em> so why are you being so serious about it?!" Janus spat at them, despite being so worked up, he didn't raise his voice. </p><p>He got up and stormed out, not caring about Remy since the other in shock. Silence followed, until finally Virgil got up and broke it, "I'm going to go after him." </p><p>"Well.... that happened." Roman said once Virgil was gone. "I'm sorry, was this a stupid idea?" Emile said. Remy turned to him, "No. It's him." </p><p>--</p><p>It was later on in the day, Remy was sat alone on his bed until Emile walked in. "Hey." </p><p>"Hi..." Remy mumbled. Emile walked over, "Are you okay?"</p><p>"I... i don't know. I feel like maybe i pushed Janus too far? i was a bit... extreme. Yet.. he didn't even yell or anything." Remy said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. His hat lay on his bed next to him.</p><p>"I mean, the staff was a bit... it's frustrating, when someone refuses to do something that seems so easy to you." Emile said softly. </p><p>"Why is it so hard to admit that you think someone's cute?" Remy asked. Emile smiled slightly, "It's still opening up. For someone people, that's the hardest thing to do. Even something as small as admitting you think someone is attractive can make someone feel vulnerable." </p><p>"I guess... i still feel kinda crappy though." Remy looked at Emile, "I've always been... a little pushy." </p><p>"I've been told a lot i'm too bossy, or pushy, or just plain annoying."</p><p>"Well, atleast you're aware of it. That's the first step to being... less pushy!" Emile said, he was trying his best to cheer Remy up.</p><p>Remy gave him a small smile, "Thank you. Oh, i have a question for you." Emile tilted his head slightly, <em>God, Remy loved that little head tilt, it would never stop being cute.</em> "Are you.. into guys or girls?" </p><p>Emile blinked, then laughed, "Oh! Well, actually, both!" Remy felt like an idiot, <em>duh</em>, people who like men and women exist. </p><p>"Heh, right." Remy laughed too. </p><p>"Why'd you ask?" Emile asked, Remy's eyes widened. "Oh! i just, wondered since... you said earlier, her, and i... kinda already.. presumed you liked guys. I don't know, you just seemed like it!" </p><p>"Pft. You shouldn't assume, but no worries. Oh.... Remy?" Remy looked over at him, "Yeah?"</p><p>"Hat hair." </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>TAKE YOUR REMILE CHILDREN! FEEEED! Remy sighed a lot in this chapter<br/>pft Janus is gonna loose his shit when he realizes what he actually said about Remus- </p><p>Sorry about the filler AAAAAAAAAA- Remy doesn't really have much of an arc, neither do Emile and Logan. So like... tHeY EXist- I CANT GIVE THEM ALL A SAD PAST OKAY-</p><p>also, i dont want to give off the idea they were implying that everyone must like someone, because ofc that's not true. Remy's like cupid okay, he knows-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Befuddled Blue And Pretty Pink</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>More filler, as you've probably noticed with the titles i'm going through each character and giving a little dive into them and their thoughts and such, etc. </p><p>Logan catches Patton upset and Emile is... sleepy. He's sleepy.</p><p>Sorry for the short chapter i'm lazy lmao &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Logan had spent a lot of time with Roman. He'd seen the other's entire emotional cycle, happiness, sadness, anger, distress, and over time, he had grown to like the other.</p><p>It was uncomfortable at first, he didn't know how to handle the moods, especially crying. But as time went on, Roman explained things, explained why people feel things like that and why they react the way they do.</p><p>Logan didn't know why he was like this. He'd never been particularly emotional, he'd never been emotional at all. He got angry, and sometimes he felt small parts of emotions, but for some reason, he never was the same as others.</p><p>He had a normal life, normal childhood, normal relationships, so why was he different? His parents were around and they were kind, although they weren't perfect, but you can't expect them to be really.</p><p>There was some bullying due to the fact he was so different, but he always brushed it off. It increased during his teen years but he got rid of them all with one punch to the stomach of their leader. </p><p>He was nowhere near perfect with feelings, but he understood them enough. He immediately took note of how Patton was opposite to him in that way, a very emotional person.</p><p>That's not to say he wasn't surprised when he found Patton crying, curled up on his bed. "Patton?"</p><p>Patton shot up quickly, "L-logan?" He sniffled, then looked down, "Sorry, i didn't hear you come in." </p><p>Logan was frozen in his spot, no matter how many times he saw Roman cry it never got better. Seeing it from Patton's small innocent face made it much worse.</p><p>"No need to apologize, Patton. May i ask, what has upset you?" Logan always asked Roman what was wrong despite the fact he already knew the answer. </p><p>"I was just... thinking about... my parents." Patton said through sniffles. Logan finally managed to move and made his way over to the bed, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. </p><p>"Here." He said, giving it to the other. Patton took it was a small smile, "Thank you." </p><p>"What exactly about your parents?" Logan inquired further. Patton sat up properly, "I just... what if Remus was right? about them being monsters? they just... married me off without my input, and now they're <em>replacing</em> me." </p><p>Patton continued when Logan raised an eyebrow, "Their having another baby." </p><p>Logan blinked in surprise, "Aren't you twenty years old?" Patton nodded. Logan stared at him for a moment before slowly sitting down on the end of the bed. </p><p>Patton looked at him with surprise, "It's okay you know, you can go, i'll be fine." </p><p>"On the contrary, i would not feel good about leaving you when you are upset." Logan said, "It's true it was not kind of your parents to force you to marry, however this does not make them 'monsters' as you put it." </p><p>"Remus sounded really upset... i feel like there's something more to it, like they've done something truly horrible." Patton mumbled, he couldn't shake the feeling away. </p><p>What if they had? what if they had done something <em>unforgivable</em>? Remus never specified what it was or even who was responsible at the core of it but the vagueness of it made Patton feel worse.</p><p>"It doesn't sound like you're keen to defend them." Logan said quietly. Patton looked up, "They haven't always... been the kindest." </p><p>Logan gave a slow nod, "I see." </p><p>"I don't want to believe they did something terrible, but i'm also finding it hard to believe that they're completely innocent." Patton said, he stared at the handkerchief in his hand. </p><p>"I wish i could just ask them and get a straight answer, but that would never happen. Gosh knows what they'd do if i accused them.." Patton laughed even though it wasn't funny.</p><p>He felt eyes on him and once again looked up at Logan's face, which was staring back with a hint of concern. </p><p>He folded up the handkerchief and placed it down, shuffling so his legs were hanging of the bed. "Thank you for listening to me." </p><p>"It's no problem, i've learned that talking about something that is bothering them to someone can have high benefits on a person." Logan replied. Patton smiled at him, then sighed. </p><p>He slid closer to other, "I'm going to go, i think i should talk to Roman." He took Logan's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before getting up and leaving. </p><p>Logan blinked, "Uh... goodbye."</p><p>--</p><p>"Ugghhh." Emile groaned as he sunk down to the floor, he was exhausted. Remy chuckled from beside him. "Don't laugh, witchcraft is tiring!" </p><p>"Well i can imagine learning it is." Remy sat down next to him. Emile looked over at him, "You're lucky, you were born with nature trusting you or whatever!"</p><p>Remy scoffed, "Correction, i was born with the ability to use natural essence. It's because my mother had a special connection with nature already, but never learned witchcraft, so it went to me."</p><p>Emile raised an eyebrow, "That doesn't entirely make sense."</p><p>"Nature doesn't always make sense babes."</p><p>Emile hummed, "I guess that's true. Nature does a lot of weird things." He sighed, he really was exhausted. He let his head fall onto Remy's shoulder, "I need sleep."</p><p>Remy turned his head, as much as he could, "I'm not your bed!" Emile softly laughed, "I know, i just..." He yawned, "I'm sleepy..." </p><p>Remy rolled his eyes, "Go to bed." Emile made a protesting sound. Remy sighed, "Fine." </p><p>When Emile woke up again, he was actually in bed, and Remy was gone. He was surprised at his sadness of that, it suddenly felt lonelier now Remy was no longer there with him. </p><p>Why did it feel lonelier though? It was like they were best friends, Patton was also his best friend, and he never felt so cold without Patton around. </p><p>Speaking of, Patton came into the room, giving a small wave. "Hi." Emile replied quietly, he was still pretty drowsy.</p><p>"How'd your lesson with Remy go?" Patton asked as he walked over. Emile shrugged, "Pretty good i guess. It's difficult." </p><p>Patton chuckled, "Yeah, i can imagine it is. They wouldn't make it easy to learn power like that though, would they?" </p><p>"I guess so." Emile sighed, he looked up at Patton and immediately noticed the other looked off. "Are you okay?"</p><p>Patton eyes widened for a moment before softening again, "Yeah, i got a little upset earlier but i'm okay now." </p><p>Emile raised an eyebrow, "Upset? what happened?" Patton smiled, "Nothing, i just wasn't feeling great. But i just came from talking to Roman about it and i'm fine now!"</p><p>"Ah." Emile nodded, "Okay. Well i'm glad Roman comforted you." Patton smiled wider,  "Actually... Logan found me when i was in the middle of crying and he was.. really nice." </p><p>Emile blinked, "Did.. i hear that correctly?" Patton laughed, "Yes. Surprisingly so... he seemed a bit uncomfortable at first but he was sweet." </p><p>"Huh. Well, i didn't expect that. He really isn't very emotional, i couldn't imagine him being good when someone in crying." </p><p>Patton's smile fell a little, "Well... Roman wasn't happy about how things were either, i don't think it's the first time Logan's seen a crying prince." </p><p>Emile let out a sad sigh. It was quiet for a moment before Patton spoke up again, "How come you ended up in bed?"</p><p>Emile could feel his face go warm, "Oh... i fell asleep.. something about trying to connect with nature makes you very sleepy."</p><p>Patton's whole face lit up, "Wait, do you mean you fell asleep on him?!" Emile blushed even more, "Sh it's embarrassing!"</p><p>Patton giggled, "Awe!" Emile groaned, which only made Patton laugh more. "Maybe i should go before you turn into a tomato!" </p><p>"I mean, i need to get up anyways, it was just supposed to be a nap." Emile shrugged. As he got up he wondered how exactly he had ended up in his bed...</p><p>"You okay?" Patton asked. Emile suddenly realized his face was burning and he probably looked like he was about to explode. "Y-yep." Emile coughed out. </p><p>Patton raised an eyebrow, "Okay. Let's go then!" Emile nodded and followed him out. Gosh, he needed another nap.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ohohohohhohoho</p><p>OMG THIS IS SO HARD- OKAY LISTEN- so like, bcuz im like commited to dying with this slowburn, i'm scared to make- anything happen between the characters- lIKE- i've always planned to have remile happen first and i'm like, BOY JUST DO IT IT'S BEEN 25 CHAPTERS ITS NOT TO EARLY FOR THEM TO SHOW ANY KIND OF AFFECTION TO EACHOTHER BUT IT'S SO H A R D-</p><p>Also, we've gotten past the others, you know what this means, only green and yellow lefftttttt *laughs in author*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Grieving Green</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This one is a rollercoaster- be prepared-</p><p>Remus ends up telling the full story of what happened to his parents to Janus.</p><p>Warnings i guess? Death, uh i wasn't kidding when i said the kings and queens are monsters-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ooo! also, i don't know if you can see yet but i changed my username to MarshyMarshmallow cuz thats slightly less stupid than Marshyshortpotato- also, marshy did come from an OC i had called... marshmallow- i shortened it cuz i was lazy sO- okay bye enjoy the angst</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was just a normal morning, well, Remus had woken up far too early, everyone else was asleep, but that was still pretty normal.</p><p>So, he was surprised to hear coughing coming from somewhere else in the room. He sat up, looking around to see where it was coming from.</p><p>He realized it was Janus, "You okay?" Janus' eyes widened as he clearly hadn't noticed Remus was awake and looked over at him. </p><p>"I guess? i don't know, i just started coughing and i feel like shit." Janus mumbled. Remus raised an eyebrow, "Are you sick?" </p><p>"I don't know." Janus coughed once more, except this time.... bubbles came out. Like... actual bubbles. </p><p>There was silence as the two just stared for a moment before Remus chuckled, "Oh, i see." </p><p>"Wha... i just... coughed bubbles." Janus stared in disbelief at where the bubbles had just popped. Remus made his way over to the others bed, "Yeah... you have magicks flu."</p><p>Janus looked up and stared at him, "You.. what?" Remus grinned, "Magicks flu my dear, it's really self explanatory." </p><p>"So i am sick? with.... flu... but magicks?" Janus was trying, but his brain hurt, everything was achy, why did this stuff always happen to him!?</p><p>"Yep. Coughing and sneezing all sorts of magicks, from fire to ice. So, it might get weird." Remus said, "Do you want me to cuddle you up and make you feel better?" He cooed. </p><p>Janus glared, "No." Remus sighed, "Don't lie! i've had magicks flu, i wanted someone to be my personal pillow! come on, let me cudddleee youuuu!" </p><p>Janus wished he could of hissed, but he knew that wasn't happening right then. So he just continued to give Remus a death stare. </p><p>"Fine! don't come complaining to me that you want it later!" Remus huffed, "Just rest, you're just going to have to ride it out." He turned and began walking away. </p><p>Janus slammed his head back down onto the pillow, immediately regretting it as it made his head spin. Fuck, he was in for one heck of a.. how long did this last exactly? Fuck. </p><p>--</p><p>"Howdy! how's my lovely snake man doing?" Remus inquired as he entered the room where the very grumpy sick snake man was.</p><p>"Shut up." Janus mumbled. Virgil rolled his eyes from beside him, "He's moody, and i'm sick of hearing him complain, so i'm out."</p><p>"You traitor." Virgil rolled his eyes once more, "You'll be fine Jan." He got up and left, passing Remus on his way, "I have seen him cough fire, sneeze shots of lightning and wheeze out ice cold air, good luck." </p><p>Remus grinned, practically skipping over to Janus' bed. "Hello dearest!" Janus groaned into his pillow, then turned his head slightly. "What is up with you and the stupid names?" </p><p>"Because i have to make sure you know how much i care about you, of course!" Janus scoffed then immediately coughed up. "God, i want death." </p><p>"Praying to Joan to kill you is not a wise move. However, what is a wise move is letting me tell you all about this one time-" Janus cut him off, "No." </p><p>"Awe, but jannnyyyyy..." Remus whined, pouting. Janus sighed and gathered all the energy he could to prop himself up. "No, stop with the dumb pet names." </p><p>"Why?" Remus asked. "Because! all you do is call me some dumb name and say some dirty thing and hope that you'll get me to sleep with you or something, but it's not happening! you don't actually care, you think with your dick Remus." </p><p>Janus hadn't meant for it to come out so harshly, but it did. He didn't have time to look at Remus' face before his arm gave out and he fell forward. </p><p>To his surprise, he was caught before he could slam down. "Is that what you think?" The voice was so quiet that Janus could barely believe it was Remus'. </p><p>When Remus let go of him, Janus was almost scared to look up at his face. "I'm not... i'm not just trying to use for sex you know." That's when Janus did look up at him, "I... i wasn't exactly trying to imply that-"</p><p>"What were you trying to imply then? huh?" Remus said bitterly. Janus was caught by surprise, "I... i just, it's not like you actually care or some shit!" </p><p>Remus stared at him. "What?! who in their right mind gets attached to a criminal they found in the middle of the woods and then went on a whole crazy ship journey with to escape two very angry kingdoms and their guards?!" Janus spat out.  </p><p>It was silent for a moment before, "ME!" Remus said, as if it were obvious. Janus blinked. "Me. I do that, because i'm fucking Remus!" </p><p>Remus breathed out, "Sorry, i just... i know i seem kind of... like i don't have any emotions other than anger and lust, but i do."  </p><p>"I'm sorry too. Oh, god, i just apologized. I don't do that, fuck." Janus turned and slammed down into the pillow, face first. </p><p>Remus chuckled, "But seriously... clearly you don't really.. well, trust me it seems. I don't blame you, considering you've clearly been through a lot. But... i'd like you to be able to." </p><p>Janus lifted his face from the pillow, "Trust doesn't just appear." </p><p>"You're right, it doesn't. But.. would help if i told you something i've only ever told one person before?" Remus asked. Janus raised an eyebrow, "Which is?" </p><p>Remus smiled sadly, "What happened to my parents." Janus' eyes widened, and he sat himself up as quickly as he could. </p><p>"You know i told you that the kingdoms had done something awful?" Janus nodded, "Yeah. This is it."</p><p>He took a deep breath and began talking. <br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>Remus was 21, but he still had the mental age of a 10 year old. Him and his parents were always fairly close, sticking together when times got rough. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>There were many small villages around the area outside of Deria and Avia, them being huge kingdoms. One of those villages, a little out of the way, was a small place called Presthorpe. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was a poor village, very small with only around eighteen people altogether. Three of those people were Mrs. Greens, Mr. Greens, and their son Remus Greens. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Green was always Remus' favourite colour, he loved the fact it was also his last name. From the grass to the mucky pond water, green was great!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>That's what he spent most of his time doing as a kid, hanging out by ponds with bright green frogs and trying to catch one, he was carefree, he didn't need to think about anything. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>As time went on, things didn't really change. When Remus grew older, he simply moved into another house in the village instead of leaving, he needed more space so, it was a simple solution. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The lack of money never bothered him, they still had enough to eat and survive, it didn't matter that he didn't have much. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>But, things got worse. Money got even tighter for his parents and he didn't exactly have anything to help them. So, they were left with no choice. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was supposed to be simple. His parents refused to steal from another village who most likely needed everything, and instead opted to take from the wealthy kingdom.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No one would notice one loaf of bread gone, right? Unfortunately, they weren't informed of the aggressive thief patrolling on the streets of Avia.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Remus hung around outside the walls just incase, although he doubted anything would go wrong. That's until he heard yelling. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He immediately tried to get in but the guards stopped him, told him that no trespassers were allowed. It was only for a second he saw his parents being restrained while they struggled against the guards before he was thrown back out again.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It wasn't for long though, as soon after guards found him, saying his presence was required at the castle. He wasn't forced, although the guards were pushy as they led him to the castle.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He couldn't believe how big it was, who needed a castle that large? And he also felt very out of place surrounded by the rich and well dressed people. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>When inside, he was surprised to see not only the rulers of Avia, but the rulers of Deria too. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The two Kings and Queens stood straight, faces blank as they faced each other. "We found their son, your majesties." The guard had said.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>One of the Kings (Remus wasn't sure which) turned and nodded, "Thank you." As soon as the guards turned, a cruel smile crawled onto his face. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Well, seems we have ourselves a son of some common thieves. Did you help them, scum?" Remus glared, "Where the fuck are my parents you bastards?!" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>There was an audible gasp from the other three, the King growled, "Do not speak to royalty like that boy!" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I was considering just letting you go off to die by yourself, but now i think i have a different plan." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Remus found himself captive, not in a cell, just in a random old room he wasn't sure what was, for what seemed like years, although it was mostly likely only hours.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Finally, the door swung open, and two of the guards walked in. Remus had no idea where they were taking him, but he knew it wasn't good. He still didn't know where his parents where-- </em>
</p><p>
  <em>And oh, part of him wished he could of stayed blissfully unaware. But no such luck. There his parents were, chained down and helpless as a exuecuter with the biggest, sharpest sword he's ever seen stood by.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"NO!" Remus cried out, he tried to move forward but he was held back. The Kings and Queens were all still there, what kind of fucked up people were they to watch this like some kind of show?! </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"This, is what happens to filthy criminals who can't just have what is theirs and have to take what isn't." The other king said. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"They had too! would you rather people starve to death!?" Remus growled. The king turned to him, "It's not our fault they're poor, now, is it?" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Remus couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe any of this, all over a loaf of bread? "You people are monsters."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Monsters who have fun." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Those were the last words he heard before the sound of the sword crashing down and screaming hit his eardrums, almost deafening him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He squeezed his eyes shut, he couldn't open them, he couldn't do it. There was another, more screaming, his head was pounding, he didn't know what he felt other than <strong>pain.</strong> </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No, no NO! no no no..." his cries turned into a quiet mutter as uncontrollable tears washed down his face. He heard footsteps and and a tut, "I think you got the picture. Now, go, and <strong>never</strong> return to this kingdom." </em><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>It was silent as Remus finished and he realised he was crying. Then, he felt a hand gently wipe the tears away from his cheek. </p><p>"I'm sorry that happened to you. I knew they were cruel bastards, but that..." Janus sighed, "I know what it's like to loose a parent." </p><p>Remus looked up at him, "You do?" Janus nodded, "Not... in the same way. But... still. Thank you for telling me that." </p><p>Remus weakly smiled, "Have i unlocked your tragic backstory yet?" Janus chuckled softly, "Sorry, no." </p><p>Remus sighed and leaned back, letting himself fall backwards. He didn't fall, although his head was hanging off the bed. </p><p>"I wish i could of done something for them." He said quietly. "In that situation, you couldn't of done anything. But you know what you did do?" </p><p>Remus pulled himself back up, looking at Janus questioningly. "You kept going. You made something of yourself, you made yourself a new life, and a new family with Remy. You even secretly built an entire town." </p><p>Remus laughed quietly, "Yeah... i did do that. They would of thought it was amazing, a whole secret town... named after them, too." </p><p>"Greens... town? Oh, i see. I thought it was just because you like the colour green." Janus shrugged. "I do love the colour, but technically, it's named after our family." Remus said with a fond smile. </p><p>"Hey Remus..." Janus suddenly remembered something, "Roman and Patton... they don't know, do they?" </p><p>Remus shook his head, "No. Part of me wants to tell them, so they know what horrible people their parents truly are, but on the other hand, they aren't horrible, they're geniune people, and i don't want to have to break it to them." </p><p>Janus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "That's shit. God, why is everything so shit?" </p><p>"Everything's got to be shit at some point. Atleast all my shit is in the past. There's is still to come, and that's worse." Remus said. </p><p>"Yeah... atleast when your shit is in the past, it's only haunting you in the form of emotional baggage and tormenting your existence." Janus said flatly. </p><p>Remus blinked, "Are you sure i can't get that backstory?" Janus smirked, "Nope, not today."</p><p>"But i told you mine! swapsies!"</p><p>"That doesn't apply to past trauma, Remus!" </p><p>"Pleasseeee?" </p><p>"No!" </p><p>"You're gonna tell me eventually, right?" </p><p>"...."</p><p>"Maybe one day." </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>note:<br/>okay so a few days ago i drew a sad janus and its still haunting my soul because it turned out decently and HES SO SAD FUCK HE NEEDS A HUG- </p><p>lel i go back and re-read the earlier parts sometimes just because like, i didn't know what i was doing at first and i tweak little things, plus theres a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes- and i just- Janus and Virgil literally have these goddamn communication necklaces and i have not yet found another use for them, FUCK-</p><p>So like, Janus' backstory, it's like- fuck- so i wanted to be like "i'll lead to the reveal in janus' chapter" but i feel like its too early still, so like, now i've got to find another place to build up to it because its happens in a particular place where they are at for a partIculAr reason- and yes it's virgils backstory too but Janus is older so hes slightly more traumatized because Janus is my favourite character to torture. (i mean, don't worry, virgil is plenty traumatized too but we'll get to that-) Hence why i have 2 angsty fics where i throw him in the pool of angsty hell harder than Thomas threw our hearts to the ground in POF. SO- basically.... i've got to try and figure out how to write Janus' chapter, with angst, but not too much angst that it reveals everything, but also has to give a lil otherwise it'll be boring. *inhales* sure is a good job that, as i said, janus is my favourite character to torture and i have all the FUCKING LIGHTER FLUID I NEED BITCHES-</p><p>i get very aggressive when talking about angst i promise i love and appreciate all of you-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Yelling Yellow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Y adjectives are... very little in existence- so i'm trying my best-</p><p>Janus... has problems man- that's basically this chapter- i don't even know how to summarize-</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luckily, turned out that magicks flu only lasted for a few days. However, during that time, Janus spent a lot more time with Remus than he ever thought he would.</p><p>After the older man opened up to him, he found it much harder to push him away so coldly. It wasn't like he wasn't used to Remus' speech and actions anyways. </p><p>
  <em>"You'll tell me one day, right?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"..."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe one day."</em>
</p><p>That was a lie. He couldn't. He didn't want to, and he didn't have the option to. Obviously, Remus saw things differently. Janus had no idea how he could just tell him something like that, it made Remus ridiculously vulnerable. </p><p>That's what Janus spent his life avoiding, vulnerability. He didn't let himself be sad or cry, he most definitely did not tell people his secrets or anything about his past, and he didn't think about it either. There was a lot of forced away memories in the back of his mind. </p><p>For Virgil, it had been different. He was younger, he didn't quite have the capability to just push all his feelings away. It wasn't a pretty time, but in the long run it did him better to process it all at the time.</p><p>Janus knew he still had the bad memories, he still remembered and he still knew, and he wished he didn't. If he could of, he would of taken it all on himself, but that just wasn't how life worked. </p><p>But even though he couldn't take on all of the baggage for himself, he did everything he could for his younger brother. He was always there to protect him, keep him safe from everything. </p><p>Not many of those scars were from their days on the streets, but every one that had been hit Janus hard, because everytime Virgil got hurt he had failed.</p><p>When they got captured... it just felt like everything had come crashing down on him, he had ultimately failed. </p><p>But he managed to escape, and then Roman helped Virgil out. Roman. Ah, Roman... well, Janus did not like Roman.</p><p>He was all for Virgil kicking Roman's butt during the two's battles with each other, however he underestimated what the prince could do, and even though Virgil wasn't bothered, Janus was. </p><p>There was.. another thing. Gradually... Virgil had started to spent more time with Roman, and Patton and Logan. Janus knew he shouldn't be so bothered by it, but he was so used to always having Virgil by his side it felt strange. </p><p>Why Virgil wanted to spend his time with two princes and a know-it-all baffled him, but he didn't say anything about it. </p><p>Why has Virgil spending his time with other people and doing new things bothering him so much? </p><p>"You look grumpy cutie, what's up?" Remus asked as he walked over. Janus was just sat against the wall, lost in his thoughts. Remus bent down, "Your pretty face shouldn't be wasted on scowling." </p><p>Janus rolled his eyes, "Nothing, just thinking about stuff." Remus hummed, "What stuff? seems like it's making you bummed out." </p><p>Janus sighed, he turned his head to look Remus in the eye. It couldn't hurt to just tell him this one thing, right? maybe a second opinion wouldn't be the worst thing. </p><p>"I just.... Virgil spends a lot more time with Roman, Patton and Logan now, and he's doing stuff like the sparring and he's just...." Janus shrugged. </p><p>"He's growing into his own person?" Remus offered. Janus raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" </p><p>"Janus, his whole personality isn't being your little brother. He's 18, he's an adult, he's going to become his own person, with his own friends and his own ways of spending his time." </p><p>"I never said that his whole personality was being my brother! i just don't get why <em>them</em>." Janus spat. Remus sighed, "I don't like having to be the mature one so shut up and listen to me." </p><p>Janus shot him a look, but shut up. "Look. Who he wants to spend his time with might seem weird to you, but it's not up to you. It's up to him. What are you going to do if he like, wants to date someone? are you going to murder them?" Janus opened his mouth but Remus cut him off, "Actually, don't answer that. Don't kill anyone, you buckethead. You have to accept these changes, or else it's just going to make you frustrated and upset." </p><p>Janus was silent for a moment while he went over what Remus had said in his head. It had never occurred to him that Virgil didn't just... automatically want to spend all his time with him, as selfish and self-centered as that sounds. </p><p>"But what if he... stops wanting to be around me all together?" Janus asked, he regretted speaking immediately as he couldn't hide the slight fear in his voice,<em><strong> vulnerability.</strong></em></p><p>However Remus didn't say anything about it, he just took Janus' hand into his. "He won't." </p><p>Janus pulled his hand away quickly, and even though Remus couldn't know for sure what would happen, the confidence in his voice reassured Janus a little. </p><p>Remus huffed, "My hand isn't <em>that</em> gross!" Janus scoffed, "Maybe wash them more often."</p><p>Remus grinned, "Does that mean if i wash them more you'll hold my hand?" Janus rolled his eyes, "No."</p><p>Remus sighed heavily, "Your so stubborn snakey." Janus gave him a death stare, he wasn't <em>that</em> stubborn. </p><p>"One day i'll get you to loosen up a little, you're not going to get judged for being a human who wants other human contact, you know." Remus said, standing back up. </p><p>Janus turned his head away, Remus was being overdramatic, Janus had human contact! .... occasionally. Okay, maybe he could use a little more. But not from Remus. </p><p>"That's enough responsible words from my mouth today! i'm gonna go hit Roman over the head with one of my tentacles!" Remus said with a grin, before running off. </p><p>Janus rolled his eyes once more. He stayed sat there for a while before he finally got up, going to look for Virgil.</p><p>--</p><p>"Virge?" Janus found his brother alone, sometimes Virgil just took a while to be by himself, people could get overwhelming. </p><p>"Hm?" Virgil looked over at him, "Whats up?" Janus took a breath in, "Nothing... just wanted to.. you know.. talk to you, i guess."</p><p>Virgil raised an eyebrow, "You sure your not still sick?" Janus rolled his eyes, "Well, i still feel like shit but i'm not sneezing fire anymore." </p><p>Virgil snickered, "I'm glad. God, i hope i never get that." </p><p>"Remus didn't have much information on it, just that its... a thing." Janus shrugged. </p><p>"Well, it didn't seem to be contagious." Virgil said. Janus nodded, "Yeah, thank Joan for that or i would of been stuck entirely with Remus for three days."</p><p>"Oh come on, he's the only person i've ever seen you not hate with your entire being apart from me." Virgil scoffed. Janus shot him a look. </p><p>"No seriously! you barely speak to the others here, you clearly hate Roman's guts, you only ever talk to me or to Remus." Virgil continued. </p><p>"Roman is the worst." Janus stated, and Virgil rolled his eyes, "He's not." </p><p>"Yes he is. Besides, so what? Logan is a know-it-all, Patton is way over sensitive, Emile is just boring, Remy is annoying, and Roman is the worst." </p><p>"You haven't even taken a second to get to know them Jan!" Virgil argued. "Well i'm sorry i've been busy trying to make sure we stay alive and not busy making friends!" </p><p>Virgil scoffed, "You say that like i'm some sort of friendship making machine. No, but i've talked to them, and their nice. You're right, Logan is a bit of a know-it-all, but he's actually smart and he's pretty interesting too! Patton is sensitive, but he's so sweet and kind, no one can hate that! And Roman can be annoying as hell, and sometimes i do want to stab him, but he can be nice too, and he's not as full of himself as you think! We're not in mortal peril constantly anymore, taking a second to just have a conversation won't get us killed!"</p><p>Virgil didn't mean to lash out at Janus, he wasn't even sure where the frustration had come from. Janus was staring at him in shock from the outburst. </p><p>"I.. sorry, for being loud. I just... you have to get to know a person before you decide what kind of person they are." Janus knew that, everyone knew that, why was everyone talking to him like a child who didn't understand how people worked? </p><p>Janus turned around, "Right... sorry. Bye Virgil." And he begun walking away. Virgil stared at he walked away, he couldn't think of anything to say, should he even stop the other? </p><p>Before he knew it, Janus was gone. </p><p>--</p><p>Remus looked up as the door creaked open "What are you doing, you silly goose?" He was expecting a sarcastic response but Janus was silent as he opened up the door fully and walked in the room. </p><p>That alone was enough for Remus to immediately know something was off, "You okay janny?" </p><p>Janus remained silent as he slowly made his way over. Remus couldn't quite tell what the look on his face was, but it wasn't anything good. </p><p>"Cat got your tongue?" Remus joked, but he said it gently, thinking it might not be the best time for humour. Janus cracked the tiniest smile before it was replaced with a sad look. </p><p>Remus sighed, then opened his arms, "Okay, come here. I don't care about your pride or whatever, come get a hug you stubborn snake." </p><p>Janus stared at him, but Remus persisted, "Come on my arms are getting tired!" Janus still didn't move though, just staring at him. </p><p>Remus sighed heavily and closed his eyes, about to just get up and pull Janus in for a hug himself, when he felt a weight in his arms. </p><p>Remus could barely believe it when his eyes shot open again and he saw Janus there with his face buried in Remus' shirt, almost like he was trying to hide. </p><p>It was... unbelievably adorable. Not that Remus said that outloud, because that would probably make Janus move immediately. </p><p>Infact, Remus didn't say anything. He adjusted his arm a little and ran a hand through Janus' hair, but he stayed quiet. It felt oddly like having a small animal in your hands, like a kitten or a rabbit. </p><p>"Remus?" Janus finally spoke up. "Yeah?" </p><p>"Thanks... for the hug." Remus smiled at him. "You're welcome." </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*heavy breathing* 27 chapters. for a H U G-</p><p>does this plotline of Virgil leaving Janus for Patton, logan and Roman sound familiar to you??? i don't know, it rings a bell but i just can't remember where it's from....</p><p>this slowburn is going to be the death of me- it is so hard to write Virgil, Remus and Janus with like actual human emotions and being actual human people without them being out of character which says a lot tbh- </p><p>i just- really, if i didn't care about making this atleast a semi-decent fic, i would just throw all the plot out of the window and centre it completely around Janus being baby- because he is baby and u can't tell me otherwise- thats all i want to do i just want to write Janus being baby and getting cuddles- don't judge me karen- okay i'm leaving bye- enjoy the demus u got over the last two chapters it probably wont be back for a while lmaookaybye-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Friends 'Till The End</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>*wHEeze* badly wRitten ActiON and ANgst AHeAD PrEPARE yoURselves-</p><p>It's about time we catch up with our favourite villains we love to hate, James and The Dark Creature! Yayyyy! </p><p>Warnings: uh.... kind of death?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>James slammed his hands down on the table. "UGH!" The dark creature giggled from beside him. James shot his head around, "<em>What</em>?" </p><p>"Dear, you've really gotten yourself into a twist over all this, haven't you? Just take a minute to think about what you know." The dark creature said with a smirk. </p><p>"The problem is i still don't know enough!" James growled. The dark creature rolled their eyes, "Well, maybe i have some information you don't."</p><p>James raised an eyebrow, "Like what?" The dark creature stepped forward, "First of all, i've seen that whole group, so i know who they are. Second, i've heard a few things and the guesses of this being a kidnapping situation of some kind are not what's going on."</p><p>"How do you know that?" James asked. "Well, they seemed pretty buddy-buddy with each other to me. Didn't seem like anyone was being held hostage, it was almost like they were <em>friends</em>." </p><p>James growled again, "Are you serious? <em>Friends</em>." He scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Idiot princes." </p><p>The dark creature clicked their tongue, "Well dear, this could be helpful. People are willing to give up more for people they care about." </p><p>James hummed, "True. But we still don't have a plan." The dark creature pushed past him and took the map from the table. </p><p>"First, we need to find out where they are, you have something we can track, right?" James nodded, "Yeah." </p><p>"Perfect. We track them, then.." The creature pulled out it's witch's staff, "We teleport there." James grinned, "Teleportation spells."</p><p>The creature grinned back, "Correct, dearest! You only need the four right? we dispose of the others, nobody cares what happens to them." </p><p>"Who exactly are they?" James asked, eyebrow raised. "A witch, that weird mustache guy, and the two royal advisors. The royals won't miss them being gone, right?" The dark creature asked with a smirk.</p><p>James chuckled, "They don't give a shit about the casualties." </p><p>"That's what i thought. With them out of the picture, we have two defenseless princes, but two magicks users who may be a challenge." The creature looked over at James, "After all, their reputation holds them highly."</p><p>James glared, "Their not that impressive. Slipping past the bucketheads they call guards isn't hard. Could be a bit of a fight, but we'll win." </p><p>The dark creature shrugged, "Alright. We take them down, the king and queen want them dead anyways, do they not? so we kill the scaley one, i'll take the purple haired one and you can have your princes back." </p><p>"We need to get them distracted." James reminded the creature. They hummed, "Wait... you have a little witchy, don't you?"</p><p>James looked at them questioningly, "Yes, what about him? i was going to just throw him into the water and let him drown since i don't need him anymore."</p><p>"Well, hold off on that. Don't you think he would make good bait? after all, they've probably all got hero syndrome, wouldn't kill a poor innocent boy."</p><p>James grinned, "Bait, huh?" The dark creature returned the twisted smile with a wink, "This is going to be fun."</p><p>--</p><p>It was just another stop at another small village, usual routine. Check to see exactly how wanted Virgil and Janus are and how well Roman and Patton are known, (usually it was safe in small villages, it was the towns and kingdoms that held problems) do whatever needs to be done, and then leave. </p><p>However, their routine was thrown off balance when out of nowhere, Remus cried out in pain and doubled over. It was lucky they were walking away and no longer in the middle of the village, so no one else heard, however they know knew it meant someone was tracking them, and that was a problem. </p><p>"Okay, everyone calm down. You okay buddy?" Remy asked as he steadied Remus in his arms. Remus looked up at him, "Mmm fine.."</p><p>Remy sighed. "Should we leave?" Virgil asked. Remy looked over at him, "Yeah, we probably should, just incase." </p><p>All of a sudden there was a puff of green smoke behind them and what sounded like a stomp to the ground. </p><p>"We meet again!" A familiar, dark shadowy voice came through the smoke. As it cleared, they saw the dark creature, grinning wide. </p><p>Next to them stood James, tall and with a big scar across his face, and an intense stare. Roman gasped, "Fuck, that's the head guard of Avia!" </p><p>James smirked, "Exactly. Do you know how long it's taken me to track you brats down?!" </p><p>With Remus now out cold, Janus and Virgil went to start a fight with magicks but were quickly stopped when James pulled forward a stranger and held his sword to his throat. </p><p>"Ah ah... better not, or else this <em>poor innocent stranger</em> we grabbed from the village is going to land an unfortunate fate." James said, his smile only growing more twisted at the shocked look on their faces. He could of just told the truth, of course, but it made it better if they thought it was a complete stranger with no idea what was going on. </p><p>"You kidnapped a stranger from the village?! what the hell is wrong with you, he hasn't done anything!" Janus hissed. James rolled his eyes, "Like your one to talk, the only difference is <em>i</em> get paid to be a bastard." </p><p>"<em>We are not the same</em>." Janus stated firmly. James smirked, "Whatever you say." While they were distracted by the sword at this absolutely terrified looking strangers neck, the dark creature pulled out their staff.</p><p>"Well, we don't have time to dilly-dally. Since we only need the four of you.." Remy went to pull his own staff out but was cut off by the creature using the same spell as before, separating Logan, Emile, Remy and Remus from the other four and floating them above the ground. </p><p>"I won't be so nice this time." The dark creature hissed before whipping the staff to the side. "No!" Patton cried, he squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the crash in the distance. </p><p>"Oopsie. Highly doubt they survived that crash landing." The dark creature giggled. James looked over, there was a splash from the small waterfall nearby, part of the mountains surrounding the area, "Oh, well, if they weren't already dead, seems like they're drowning now." </p><p>He didn't turn his head for long, but in the moment he did a blast of ice shot by, narrowly missing his face. His grip on his sword loosened from shock and Thomas underneath him took the opportunity to pull away. </p><p>"You-" He growled but was cut off again by more ice. He turned to Janus, "Your not going to be able to do much with just one hand snake eye, why not take off the other glove?" He growled. Janus' eyes widened for a second before he shook it off and shot a strike of lightning his way, which James deflected with his sword. <br/><br/>The dark creature flashed green and purple at Janus for a moment, a long-lost memory flickering before his eyes, but the effect didn't last long when James swung his sword at his once more, taking his attention.</p><p>Thomas moved away, he wished he had his staff but he didn't manage to grab it. "Get out of here!" Janus yelled at him. Part of him wanted to stay and help, but the other part of him knew this might be his only chance to get away, so he ran off into the trees nearby. </p><p>"I don't have the time for this." The dark creature sighed, it turned to Virgil, "This'll be easier if you just give up, you know?" Virgil scoffed, "Sure, but it'll be more fun to watch you lose." </p><p>The dark creature growled and pointed their staff but Virgil was quicker, teleporting away and repearring to the side. "Teleportation spell? really, what, is that all your going to do?" </p><p>Virgil shrugged, "It works, doesn't it?" The creature raised their staff once more but Virgil was already gone. There was a back and forth while the creature grew tired. </p><p>"Awe, running out of energy?" Virgil teased. The creature glared at him, "Stupid spells magicks." Virgil smirked and disappeared once more, before reappearing right in front of the creatures face and punching them. </p><p>Meanwhile, Janus continued throwing things and James who kept dodging and deflecting them, slowly edging closer. Roman was watching helplessly from behind, having no idea how to help. Patton was in a similar state, watching Virgil and the dark creature. </p><p>Suddenly, the positions switched around when James got close enough to swing his sword and Janus swerved to dodge. Janus took a breath in and realised it had grazed his cheek, but he'd worry about that later. </p><p>James lifted up his sword again, "How long are we going to do this for, huh? your pathetic. You won't even use your full power! i wanted a fight, so i could see the blood poor out after a challenge, not after i easily took you down." </p><p>Roman saw that James was now stood infront of him, back facing him and clearly not realizing he was there, and seized the opportunity as he hit James directly in the back of the head. James bent forward, growling in pain and Janus quickly pulled off his other glove and used his full ability to engulf James fully in ice.</p><p>Roman and Janus stared at eachother for a moment, breathing heavily. Janus pulled his glove back on, the other had been dropped to the ground, "Don't." He went to pick up the other glove but the noise from the other three captured his attention first, he could pick it up after.</p><p>The dark creature hissed, Virgil shook the slimy black goo off his hand, he didn't have time to question what exactly this thing was made off before the creature jumped at him. </p><p>"Hey!" To Virgil's horror, Patton came forward, "S-stop that!" The creature looked up at him, "Aw, don't want me to hurt your friendwy-wendwy?" </p><p>"Get off him you stupid goo monster!" Patton shouted. The creature, surprisingly, got up. "My my, aren't you brave?" </p><p>Patton took a step back as the creature stepped closer. Virgil tried to get up but only then noticed the jett black slime around his wrists, acting as chains and keeping him from moving. </p><p>"Such a brave, brave little prince." The dark creature suddenly close right up in Patton's face and grabbed his chin, "Let's see what scares you, why don't we?" </p><p>There was a flash of purple and green before a wicked grin spread across the creatures face. Then, it shapeshifted into someone Virgil had never seen in person, but still knew exactly who was. </p><p>The King of Deria. Patton gasped, tugging himself free and moving back. "Your own papa? oh poor princey..."<br/><br/>The creature bolted forward and grabbed Patton's arm, the slimy goop slowly crawling up it and covering it. </p><p>Virgil finally managed to break away from the slime, he lifted up his arm but he didn't want to accidently hit Patton with a spell. He looked around for something, <em>anything</em> when he noticed James frozen on the other side of the clearing they were in. </p><p>"JANUS! Unfreeze his sword!" He called over. Janus looked over with a questioningly look, "GET THE SWORD!" </p><p>Even though he was confused, Janus unfroze the sword and pulled it out anyways. That's when he finally noticed what was happening with the creature, "What the hell!?"</p><p>"GIVE IT TO ME!" Virgil demanded, he ran over and took it from Janus' hands then hurried back, he had no idea if it would work but he was going to try it anyways.</p><p>As soon as he came to a halt behind the dark creature, he struck the sword, slicing across the neck, still gooey even as the creature was shifted into a human, and watching the head fall to the floor. Patton screamed in horror, but was relieved as the iron grip and face of his father melted away. </p><p>The entire dark creatures body melted into the ground, including the head. Patton looked down at his arm as the slime dripped away, noticing something was very, very wrong.</p><p>"M-my arm... it's- it's black!" He stuttered, staring in shock. Virgil's eyes widened as he looked down at Patton's now half jett black arm. "It's... it's like it left a mark or something." </p><p>Janus and Roman came over, "Where did it go?!" Roman asked. Virgil shook his head, "I don't know. But it's gone." </p><p>"Patton... what happened to your arm?" Patton looked up at Janus, answering with only a lost look in his eye. </p><p>"We... we should go before James unmelts, right?" Roman said after a moment of unsure silence. "Yeah... yeah let's... go.." Janus said with a sigh. He never grabbed his glove but he had forgetten that, he had another pair anyways. He looked at the sword abandoned on the ground for a moment before picking it up. </p><p>Then they disappeared into the trees. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>.....</p><p>i'm sorry-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Deep In The Woods</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Thomas finds himself in the woods, lost, confused and overwhelmed.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thomas had no idea where he was going, all he knew was that he had to get away. All he could hear was the wind in his ears, his own running and his breath. </p><p>It was only when he heard the gentle splashing of water he realized he had run in the direction of the waterfall. He slowed and let himself breath properly, he had gotten away. </p><p>He knew James wouldn't come looking for him, he was only using him as a pawn after all, but there was still the problem of being lost in an unfamiliar place, all alone, without his staff.</p><p>He wished he had time to grab his staff, but he would of been caught doing so. James was all threats, but he knew that those threats were far from empty. </p><p>As he came up to the pond of water, he noticed something was off. Something was floating in the water, a few things actually. They looked like... <em>bodies?! </em></p><p><em>Crap, it must be the people that creature used that spell on!</em> Thomas darted forward, going to pull the bodies out of the water and <em>praying</em> they were somehow still alive. </p><p>Once he had pulled all four of them, plus a hat that was floating (he thought it probably belonged to one of them, so he just grabbed it) and checked one of their pulses. </p><p>He breathed out in relief when he knew that the man was alive, and after checking the others was glad to find a pulse from each of them. However, they weren't exactly okay.</p><p>Cuts and bruises littered their bodies, presumably from hitting the rocks, and one of them had an arm that looked definitely didn't look right, probably broken. He<em> wished</em> he had his staff, so he could heal them atleast a little. </p><p>He noticed the hat was a witches one, meaning of them was probably a witch. A witch can't just use another witches staff like that, so this information was still useless to him. </p><p>He had to do <em>something</em>, god knows how they even survived in the first place, thank god the water wasn't deep enough for any of them to drown but it still wasn't good. </p><p>He turned around and scanned for something, despite knowing there was nothing that could help him. However, he did notice a decently sized tree branch that had fallen to the ground. </p><p>He took a breath in, a witch is only ever supposed to replace their staff if it was broken beyond repair, he'd only lost his. </p><p>But he knew he was never getting it back. Nature was tricky, but he had to try. He went over and picked it up off the ground, hopefully he could be quick enough. </p><p>He closed his eyes and gripped the branch with both hands. After a moment, he saw the familiar flowery pink essence, but it was only brief. He squeezed them shut even more, he needed this to work, this <em>had</em> to work.</p><p>He couldn't go on without a staff, otherwise his witchcraft would be useless, and he had to save these people, he didn't know them but he still wanted to make sure they were okay, he couldn't just leave them to die! </p><p>Suddenly, a burst of his rose pink essence was infront of him, and he opened up his eyes to see the light glow around the now blossom covered branch.</p><p>He breathed out in relief, it had worked. The staff looked different to his old one, which, he was sad to know would of now faded away. Green and leaves stuck out of a few cracks, soft pink blossoms were littered across it, stuck on by nothing but the pure essence that leaked out of the staff.</p><p>He turned and hurried back over to the group of four men unconscious on the ground. He lowered his new staff and chanted the healing spell. </p><p>The cuts mostly healed, same with the bruises almost disappearing, he couldn't heal them very much when doing all four at once, but it was something. He moved to focus on the dodgy arm, hoping to help it heal just a little. </p><p>He took a step back when he was done, he wasn't sure how long they would be unconscious for. Nothing immediately happened, so he sat down and took a moment to think over what had just happened.</p><p>James, the person who had practically been keeping him prisoner for god knows how many weeks, he couldn't even tell at that point, was finally gone. These people, he had overheard James talking, they must of been the group with the princes.</p><p>He felt bad about leaving the princes behind, plus the other two. He recognized them, they were the deadly duo, but... one of them had made sure he was let go and got out, so maybe they weren't as bad as they made out to be.</p><p>After all, Thomas had learned a lot wasn't how it was presented to be. The head guard of Avia, the one in charge, was a heartless monster. And he'd overheard him saying the King and Queen didn't care, what were they like really?</p><p>Some trust issues were definitely now embedded inside of him, but he still had a kind heart and he wanted to make sure these four were okay, no matter who they were. </p><p>He waited for a while, running a hand over his newly made staff before one of them came around. He groaned, probably still in pain, and turned over.</p><p>"U-uhm.. hi." Thomas said, unsure of how exactly to interact with them. The guy turned his head and gave him a surprised look. </p><p>"I.. found you guys, in the pond, and i couldn't just leave you there so, i brought you out and i healed you a little..." Thomas informed him with a shrug. The guy nodded, "... Thanks."</p><p>"How... did you survive that?" Thomas asked. The guy looked confused, "Survive.. wait, you're the guy that guard dude was holding." </p><p>Thomas nodded, "My name is Thomas, i'm not from here, James... was kind of keeping me prisoner, because i'm a witch and he needed one..." </p><p>The guy made a wince sound, Thomas didn't know if it was from an injury or from his sympathy. "Sorry to hear that. I'm Remy, by the way. Also a witch." </p><p>Thomas nodded again, then remembered the hat he had found, he turned and grabbed it from behind him. "Is this yours?" </p><p>Remy gasped, "You have it?! thank god, i thought i was going to loose it." Thomas handed it to him, "It's still a little wet." </p><p>The guy shrugged, "Atleast i have it, it's pretty important to me." He pushed himself up, still making sounds of pain but atleast he could sit up. </p><p>"I... tried to heal that guys arm, i think it's broken." Thomas added, he felt that if he stopped talking it was fall into an awkward silence. Which made sense, considering they were strangers, but still.</p><p>Remy looked over, "That's Logan, honestly, i'm not surprised about a broken arm. I barely managed to make a shielding spell before he hit the mountainside." </p><p><em>So that's how they survived</em>, Thomas thought. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. He's a little stubborn, but he can handle a broken arm." Remy added. </p><p>Thomas nodded again, he knew he was nodding a lot, but it was hard to answer with much else in a situation like this. As predicted, an silence fell between the two.</p><p>"Are the others okay?" Remy said eventually. "I don't know. The one with the scales told me to run, so i did. I feel kind of bad about leaving them behind, but there's two magicks users, so they'll be fine, right?" </p><p>Remy sighed, "Yeah, hopefully. I know Janus and Virgil will be fine, but i'm kind of worried about Patton and Roman, i've taught them how to defend themselves but i haven't gotten round to much attacking yet, especially since Patton refuses to hurt anyone, no matter what." </p><p>Thomas blinked, Patton and Roman were the princes, he knew that, but Janus and.. Virgil, did he say? Those must of been the criminals names. Actually... "Aren't they like... criminals?" </p><p>Remy sighed again, "Yes, but they're not... like... i don't know. They haven't really opened up much, but at the end of the day, they're just trying to stay alive." </p><p>Thomas wasn't expecting that answer, but he supposed for some people it wasn't so simple. "Sorry." Remy shrugged, "You didn't know, you can't blame people for assuming what they've been told. I mean, what else are you supposed to believe other than what you know?"</p><p>Thomas was surprised at how he had ended up having such a sudden deep conversation with this stranger, and he was glad when it was interrupted by another one of the four waking up. </p><p>"Emile!" Remy moved over as fast as he could, his entire body was aching, but he ignored it for the moment. Emile's eyes fluttered open and moved over to him, a "Mm" was all that came out his mouth, but that was understandable. </p><p>Remy smiled, "Feel like shit?" Emile nodded. Remy laughed softly, "Yeah, me too." Thomas felt like he was interrupting a moment, awkwardly sitting behind the two.</p><p>It took a moment for Emile to notice him, to which he gave Remy a confused look. "That's Thomas, he helped us." Remy answered, he could explain it properly later. </p><p>Emile made an O shape with his mouth. Remy smiled once more, "Can you sit up?" Emile looked unsure but made a push to sit up anyways. Remy took his arm and helped him up. </p><p>"Thanks Rem.." Thomas felt even more awkward then, staying completely still and silent. Eventually, after a moment of looking eachother while Thomas desperately tried to look literally anywhere else, Emile and Remy turned to Thomas.</p><p>"So.... what do we do now?" </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ehuehefdjrgejhgjegnjijgnjekgnhejhjeng<br/>HA<br/>did you think it was going to all come back together again in this chapter? NO. Because i'm mean. SUFFFFERRRRRRR-</p><p>Writing Thomas is strange lmao- even tho its a character its still him ya know?</p><p>Remy and Emile: *stupid gay pining*<br/>Thomas: ... *cough* i'm right here-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. We've Come Together</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Roman, Virgil, Patton and Janus need to find the others.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A silence hung over the four as they tread through the trees, which turned out to be a woodland. </p><p>Patton was hanging behind, holding onto his arm and gazing over it, the shock of what had happened still washing over him.</p><p>Roman was at the front, he was listening out for anything, he wasn't exactly sure what. Water, maybe? Of course, they had to find the others, he was just worried about what they might actually find.</p><p>Virgil was walking beside Janus, he noticed his brother was death staring Roman infront of them. He wondered why, he knew Janus wasn't exactly Roman's biggest fan, but it seemed like something had happened.</p><p>Eventually, they came to a halt. "I... have no idea where we are." Roman said, turning to the others.</p><p>Janus sighed heavily, "We're trying to find the waterfall." Roman rolled his eyes, "I know that, but i meant that i can't hear any water and all of these trees look exactly the same!"</p><p>"We walked straight forward, so shouldn't we go left?" Virgil said. Roman raised an eyebrow, "Uh.. which way did we walked in again?"</p><p>Virgil sighed, "Okay, great, we're lost." It fell silent as they thought of what to do. Out of nowhere, Patton's voice broke the silence from behind them.</p><p>"Wh- what if they're... dead?" They all turned to look at him. "Patton... i..." Roman began, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Realistically, it was unlikely they survived the blow, but none of them wanted to entertain that idea. </p><p>"Lets... just not, right now. Let's just focus on finding the waterfall." Virgil said with a sigh. Suddenly, his face lit up with an idea.</p><p>He reached under the top of his shirt and tugged something out, "We can split up, and use these if we find anything. One go left, one go right or something." Janus looked over at him, "Actually... that's a good idea."</p><p>Virgil looked at the amulet in his hands, "Well, might as well use them." Roman and Patton shared a confused look, "What is that?" Roman asked. </p><p>"A communication amulet, you can send messages to the person who has the matching one." Janus explained. "Where did you get those?" Patton asked curiously.</p><p>Janus shrugged, "Stole them." Patton frowned, but didn't say anything. "From a rich snobby witch." Janus added. Patton sighed, in his eyes, stealing was wrong and you shouldn't unless you absolutely had too, it didn't matter how rich the person your stealing from is, but he still didn't say anything.</p><p>"Okay, well, you two don't know how they work... so... guess we're splitting into pairs." Virgil said with a shrug. Janus took once glance at Roman before saying, "I'm not going with him."</p><p>Roman rolled his eyes, "Well i don't want to be with you either!" Virgil sighed, "Shut up you two." Roman shot him a glare, "Don't tell me to shut up! besides, doesn't this mean your with me?" </p><p>Virgil groaned, "I guess so. Let's just go already, can we?" Roman rolled his eyes again, "Fine."</p><p>Before they could walk away, Janus grabbed Roman's arm, "Oh, and before you go, if you try any shit, i will slice your pretty little face into a bloody mess." </p><p>Roman scoffed, "Yeah, no need to worry about that Mr. overprotective older brother, i wouldn't touch<em> him</em> with a fifty metre long stick." Janus narrowed his eyes further, "Saying that isn't any better." </p><p>Virgil grabbed Roman's other arm and pulled him away, "Okay! we're going now, bye!" He said in a strained voice. Roman stuck his tongue out at Janus before Virgil pulled him out of view.</p><p>Janus turned to Patton, "Let's just start looking." He said with a sigh. </p><p>--</p><p>"Sooo...." Roman whistled out after a while of walking in silence. Virgil looked over at him with an annoyed expression.</p><p>"Don't look at me like that! not my fault you're brother is insane." Roman huffed. Virgil rolled his eyes, "What do you expect you dimwit? he's spent almost eighteen years trying to protect me, he's not going to let it go anytime soon."</p><p>Roman stopped, "<em>Eighteen</em><em> years</em>?" Virgil blinked, also stopping. "Oh... well... yeah?" Roman stared at him, "He's twenty-four." </p><p>"Well as a six year old he couldn't do much but he was still trying." Roman continued to stare at him, "Why would he <em>need </em>to?"</p><p>Virgil sighed and turned fully to look at him, "Don't ask questions you don't want the answer too, Roman." </p><p>Roman desperately wanted to ask more, but he kept his mouth shut. The mysterious and seemingly tragic backstory intrigued him, even if he knew it wasn't going to be good, he couldn't help but want to know.</p><p>They kept going in silence for a while longer, until Roman spoke up again, he wasn't good with silence. "Any idea why he hates me in particular so much?" </p><p>Virgil hummed, "Well, you're annoying as hell and honestly you're ego is far too big, plus in general you just have this feeling about you that makes me want to stay away-" </p><p>"Alright alright!" Roman huffed, "But really, there's no reason? like i didn't do anything to him?" Virgil raised an eyebrow, "You actually care?"</p><p>Roman shrugged, "I want to know if i did something to make him hate me, i mean, i don't really care that much what he thinks but if i did something wrong, ya know?"</p><p>"I guess. Not that i know of, i mean, i know he got kind of upset about me spending more time with you, plus Logan and Patton." Virgil said. Roman looked surprised, "I... i mean, i guess we do spend quite a lot of time together... it's a lot of arguing and trying to fight eachother though."</p><p>Virgil chuckled, "What kind of friendship is better than one where you're trying to win a fight with eachother all the time?" Roman laughed, "Can't argue with that." </p><p>"I think he's just.. finding it kind of hard, considering how long it was just the two of us." Virgil mumbled. Roman nodded, "Yeah, yeah..." </p><p>Silence fell upon them once more as they kept going, but the awkwardness was gone, leaving them in a comfortable quiet.</p><p>--</p><p>Patton rubbed the darkened parts of his left arm, everytime he poked it he felt a little fuzzy feeling, it was strange. He noticed Janus glance over at him a few times, making the tense silence between them even worse.</p><p>"You.... get used to it after a while." Janus said finally. Patton looked up at him questioningly. "Having... something weird, an abnormal body part like that." </p><p>"People stare and give you looks, it's just... yeah." Janus shrugged. Patton nodded, the image of the other side of Janus' face with the patch of scales over his eye flashed before his eyes. </p><p>"How did you.... even deal with that when you were younger?" Patton asked. Janus shrugged once more, "I don't know. It took me a long time to accept it... and even now, if i could i'd get rid of them." </p><p>"What about... the snake?" Patton continued. Janus went quiet beside him, but kept walking forward.</p><p>"It..." He began talking again after a while, causing Patton to look up at him, "It just happened. The first time, it just happened, and even i didn't know i could do it. We were... in danger, and at the time we were pretty young and outnumbered, and i guess out of instinct it just happened." </p><p>Patton slowly nodded, then turned his attention back to his arm. </p><p>"It just... it feels weird, and it's.... it looks strange, and i'm just.. i don't know what happened to it, what if i'm cursed or something?" Patton said worriedly. </p><p>"I doubt it. What would that creature benefit from cursing you?" Janus said. "I guess you're right... although, i'm not entirely sure what it's thoughts are." Patton mumbled.</p><p>It went quiet, the two of them being such different people the conversation didn't exactly flow naturally. Patton noticed that Janus was carrying James' sword, "You took it?"</p><p>Janus looked over at him, "Was i supposed to just leave it there so he can have it again when he un-melts?"</p><p>"Well... i guess not. But, i don't think any of us even know how to use a sword like that." Patton said with a shrug. "Pft, are you kidding me? we know Remus fucking Greens, he knows how to do literally everything somehow, he has like a million freaky talents." Janus scoffed.</p><p>"I suppose so.... not sure about how i feel about giving Remus a giant sword." Patton said. </p><p>"Yeah, someone would probably end up maimed. If i had to take a guess, i'd say it'd be Roman, which i'm not complaining about." </p><p>"Janus! you can't say things like that, we don't want Roman to be hurt!" Patton gasped. Janus rolled his eyes, "Take a joke, you're such a parent sometimes, talking about the others like their your kids." </p><p>"I don't know, sometimes they feel like my kids. Like i'm giving them a father figure in their lives, they all kind of seem to need one..." Patton said the last part quietly. </p><p>It went quiet once more, until Janus' head turned suddenly, "I hear water." They exchanged a look then moved on the sound. </p><p>"Emile!" Patton gasped and rushed forward upon spotting his friend. Coming into view, they could see the four, plus Thomas, still sat by the water. </p><p>"Hey you found us! i... wait, where are the other two?" Remy asked. Janus walked over, and pulled out the necklace. "They'll be here pretty soon." </p><p>"Wow, i'm glad you all are okay!" Thomas said. Janus looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, "Uh... who are you?"</p><p>"Nice  to meet you, my name is Thomas." Thomas said, he put out his hand but Janus didn't take it. </p><p>"Okay... so like, are we keeping him or what?" Janus asked bluntly to Remy. Remy shrugged, "You wanna stick with us tommy boy?"</p><p>Thomas blinked, "Uh... i'm not sure. I want to get back home, but i don't think i can do that by myself considering i have no idea where i am or how far or even what direction i've gone..."</p><p>"We can get you back to your home eventually, but you'd have to stick with us for a while." Remy said. Thomas thought it over for a moment, if he didn't go with them, he could be lost for... a long time. On the other hand, they were strangers.</p><p>Almost as if he could see what Thomas was thinking, Patton piped up. "If you're worried about us being strangers, you should know we were all strangers about two months ago." </p><p>"You were?" Thomas asked in surprise. Remy nodded, "I got stuck being the mom to these clowns, but you know what? we've come together, unexpected friendships, a whole bunch of fuckery, and some life long memories." </p><p>Thomas smiled, "Sounds great." </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>wiejrgeigrj last part was lowkey rushed but it works it's fine don't judge me- </p><p>I mean if a group of weirdos came up to me after saving my life and after i saved theirs and then offered a bunch of clowns, fuckery and life long memories i'd say let's go bitches-<br/>listen i needed Thomas to join them okay shut up-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Too Close For Comfort</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>WELCOME BACK TO THE FILLER-</p><p>Everyone's stressed, depressed, and definitely not feeling their best, yay!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a flicker of purple cloudy essence floating around Logan's arm for a moment before it disappeared. Virgil pulled back and sighed, opening up his eyes, "Sorry, i'm just.. distracted."</p><p>Of course he was distracted after all that had happened, none of them were exactly in a great state of mind at that moment. </p><p>Logan nodded, "Since Thomas somewhat helped heal my arm, the pain is manageable, so there is no need to rush." </p><p>"But i want to heal it! i'll try again." Virgil insisted. Remy had not yet recovered enough to do any witchcraft, so the healing had been put to Virgil and Thomas. </p><p>While Thomas helped the other minor injuries heal, Virgil was trying to fix Logan's broken arm. Even though the other said the pain was manageable, Virgil could tell from his face he it still hurt a lot. </p><p>He took a few deep breaths, then closed his eyes once more to focus. There was nothing for a few seconds, before the familiar purple clouds appeared, encasing Logan's arm before poofing away. </p><p>Logan moved his arm around a bit, "Not completely healed, but much better, thank you, Virgil." Virgil sighed and nodded, atleast he helped a bit.</p><p>While he had helped Logan's arm, neither he or the others knew how to help Patton's. Patton had mentioned the fuzzy strange feeling wearing off, and it just feeling normal again, perhaps it was really just a mark after all.</p><p>"I just don't understand though! i mean, i touched it, and i haven't got any marks or anything!" Virgil said, exasperated. "But you shook the goo off immediately, it was holding onto my arm for a while, maybe that's it?" Patton suggested.</p><p>Virgil sighed, "Maybe?" Logan hummed, "It is certainly interesting. No one knows much about dark creatures, and no one knows what exactly they are made of, or how their minds work. It seems rather intelligent, like a person." </p><p>"They did seem pretty much like a person, not like a mindless creature. But that makes me think this wasn't an accident." Emile added. Patton made a noise of worry, "I don't want to be cursed or anything!" </p><p>"If it did curse you, what would it do? like, we know it can mind control people but it's using a mind control spell, a lot of what it does comes from witchcraft. But it's own power seemed to be seeing fears, i know that wasn't a witch spell." Virgil said. Remy nodded, "Definitely not a witch's spell, i've heard that dark creatures can see your worst fears." </p><p>Patton shuddered, "I... didn't realise... why would it shapeshift into my father though?" Virgil looked over at him with a look of sympathy, "Patton..." </p><p>Patton shook his head, "But that doesn't make sense!" Remy sighed, "Babes, think about what you're worst fear actually is. That creature has to make a physical representation of it, it might not be your father, just something he represents." </p><p>Patton shook his head, slower this time, "But... i don't know, if i had to say my worst fear i'd say... spiders." There was a silence. "Like... out of everything in the world... spiders?" Virgil said in disbelief.</p><p>Patton shrugged, "They're creepy!" Virgil sighed then, "I.... i don't know. If it's bothering you, maybe just think things over. Sometimes it can take a while to realise you've been scared of something." </p><p>Patton let his head fall down so he was looking at the floor as he heard footsteps, the others obviously leaving. Remus was still out, Remy, Emile and Logan still needed to heal since witchcraft could only do so much, and everyone was overall still very stressed. </p><p>No one said it outloud, but they could all feel the impending danger now the possibility that the dark creature and James could find them any minute was there. </p><p>--</p><p>"I know you're an angsty mess, but you're really off today aren't you Dr. gloom?" Roman teased as he noticed a moping Virgil.</p><p>"I'm <em>stressed.</em> And anxious. And annoyed." Virgil sighed, running a hand through his hair. Roman hummed, "I get it. Everyone's kind of a stress-fest at the moment."</p><p>Virgil looked up at him, "How come you're so calm?" Roman shrugged, "Not sure. Not like i haven't been known to be stressed. Gosh, you should of seen me at the royal peace meeting my parents forced me to go to where i met Patton for the first time." Roman chuckled, "It was a nightmare."</p><p>"Oh, do tell." Virgil said, smirking. Roman rolled his eyes, "Our parents basically forced us together despite being strangers. Gosh knows how we managed to actually become friends after that. Things were completely awkward between us until he accidently let it slip he didn't want to be forced together, he panicked but i agreed, and then we just started talking naturally." </p><p>"Aw, that was sweet, but i wanted an embarrassing story." Virgil said. Roman nudged him, "Rude! never ask royalty to embarass themselves." </p><p>"Thought you were going down the non-royalty path from now on?" Virgil raised an eyebrow at him. Roman had a look of surprise, "Oh! well... yeah, but... i can't really escape it, can i?" </p><p>"If you don't want to be a prince.... don't be a prince." Virgil said simply. Roman scoffed almost bitterly, "Virgil. I can't just not be a prince." </p><p>Virgil shrugged, "When was the last time any one of you guys referred to me as a criminal?" Roman blinked, "I.... a while... but.. it's different, you weren't born a criminal."</p><p>"True, but i've been one for a long time. It's what everyone saw me as for years, and apart from you guys, everyone still does. But i don't see myself as a criminal, well, i mean, i broke the law, mutiple of them actually, but that's not who i am like... actually, you know? i'm... me." Virgil shrugged once more, eyes gazing across the floor, "I... actually, have been trying to doing some self-discovery stuff myself. It's not easy, is it?"</p><p>Roman gasped, "No! it isn't, finally someone who understands!" Virgil laughed, "Like, it's super hard. I mean, i don't know, i have magicks but i don't fully understand it, i changed my appearance, but i only changed my hair colour and my eyes, i didn't... i didn't change anything that usually bothers me. My stupid pale skin... all of these scars..." </p><p>Silence fell between them, Roman was trying to work up the courage to ask the other something pretty personal, "How...." Virgil looked up at him, expression telling him to continue, "How did you... get so many?" </p><p>Virgil stared at him for a second before turning away again. He sighed, "That's a story for another day, princey."</p><p>Roman shook his head, "No. You're right, if i don't want to be a prince i shouldn't be one. I mean, i love the regal side of the life and the title itself sounds great, but in reality.... i can't be myself as a prince. I can't be free. So... no princey."</p><p>"Alright, but what nickname do i call you? calling you Roman makes you sound like we're civil with eachother or something gross." Virgil said seriously. Roman huffed, "We had a moment before! don't you remember we had a moment?!"</p><p>"What moment?" Virgil said innocently. "We had a moment before with the princey thing! your an indignant little cow sometimes you know!" </p><p>Virgil burst out laughing, "God, it's too easy to rile you up." Roman huffed once more, "Don't act like you're any better! i've seen you go from calm to pissed as hell in two seconds!"</p><p>Virgil stopped, looking up at Roman challengingly, "That's how long it'd take me to beat you, let's go, it'll be a stress reliever." Roman smirked back, "Fine, but you never beat me."</p><p>"Not true! i always beat you, but at the last second you just throw all your body weight on me and pin me down!" Virgil argued. "What i'm hearing is you waste your energy, while i just you know, <em>win</em>." Roman said with a grin. </p><p>"Oh, you're so on." </p><p>Fifteen minutes of petty arguing, dodging, kicking and throwing punches later, Roman had successfully pinned Virgil down once more. </p><p>"This is unfair! you and you're stupid... healthy body.. and dumb broad shoulders!" Virgil hissed. Roman raised an eyebrow, "How are my broad shoulders helping me right now exactly?" </p><p>Virgil flushed as he struggled underneath the other, "Shut up!" He tried to hiss, but Roman was used to the sound, it no longer held effect. "Get off me!" </p><p>Roman smirked, "How about... <em>no</em>?" </p><p>"Really? you're gonna pull this crap again?" Virgil spat, remembering the first time this had happened. Normally, after he so clearly and smartly won Roman over, then got slammed down, Roman almost instantly got up. </p><p>Roman grinned, "It's funny to see you struggle like a dying fish." Virgil shot him a glare, but when he did, they both realised exactly the position they had gotten themselves into.</p><p>Roman was hovering above the other, pinning him down by the wrists, face directly over the others. There was... definitely not as much space as Roman had first thought. And with Virgil's flushed face and those bright green and blue eyes staring up at him- </p><p>"Okay, well, we're done for today!" Roman said suddenly, getting up as quick as he could. He moved pretty far back as Virgil also got up quickly. </p><p>"Uh... okay... well.. uh... i should be going.. bye." Virgil said awkwardly, before disappearing. Roman groaned in frustration, seriously, did that just happen?!</p><p>He could of sworn the position was never normally that...<em> intimate</em>? </p><p><em>No! that's not the right word! .... Close?</em> It was far too close, for both of them, after all, Roman knew for certain there was nothing there, and there never would be. Roman was gay, very gay indeed, but he had <em>standards</em>!</p><p>And a sarcastic, rude, uncouth <em>criminal</em> did not meet them!</p><p>--</p><p>"Andddd that's pretty much everything." Emile spun around and flashed Thomas a smile as he finished giving a tour of the ship. </p><p>"I have to ask... do you know anything about ships? because you called one of the rooms the <em>table room</em>." Thomas asked, almost in disbelief. Emile giggled, "Honestly, i know nothing. Remus named it that." </p><p>"Oh yeah, Remus... he's the uh... duke guy who ran that secret town they found, right?" Thomas asked. Emile nodded, "Yeah, i wonder if he's woken up yet actually. I feel bad for him, he got the hit of the tracking spell and the crash." </p><p>Thomas' suddenly looked guilty. "Oh... i... i know the tracking spell can cause pain, but it wasn't too bad was it?" Emile frowned, "It... looked pretty painful, why?"</p><p>Thomas gulped, "I- i... was the one who did it the first time. N-not on my choice! James made me do it but... oh god, i feel awful!" Emile put a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, hey it's okay. It's not your fault. Besides, even though it wasn't good, Remus seems to have an incredibly high pain tolerance, and he seemed fine afterwards... although he is just weird like that." </p><p>Thomas sighed, "Still.... do you think i can make it up to him?" Emile sighed and smiled, "To that guy? no, i don't think theres anything you can offer him that you'd want anything to do with."</p><p>Thomas looked confused, until it was like something clicked in his brain and his face turned grossed out. Emile laughed, "Yeah, he's a dirty brain." </p><p>"But i wouldn't worry about it too much. Even though he's full of... well, to be frank, lust, he's got his eyes set on a certain snake eyed man and he's seems very determined about it." </p><p>Thomas raised an eyebrow, "Huh, really? the snake guy didn't seem very worried about him.... or like, at all worried about him." </p><p>"Hm, well, i have a bit of a habit of psycho analyzing everyone, i always have, picked up things from books and experience along the way, and from what i can tell, he is worried, he's just hiding it." Emile shrugged. </p><p>"Why would he hide it though?" Thomas asked, he suddenly drew back, "Sorry, i'm asking a lot of questions."</p><p>"Don't worry about it! we're still pretty much strangers, it's good for you to get to know us! as for the question, i can't tell you. I would tell you to ask him yourself, but you'll get your face bitten off." Emile said. </p><p>"How many possibly dangerous personalities are aboard this ship?" </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lmao prinxiety noped out of here bye bitch see you in 10 chapters- </p><p>Thomas: do you know anything about ships?<br/>Emile and Me: nope!</p><p>Okay so if u actually pay attention to detail, you might be like "Blue and green? since when were Virgil's eyes blue and green?" Well zir, i went back and cHANGED IT- i do that a lot with small details lmao- i also missed Janus having blonde hair so i switched it around so he used to have dark hair and now it's golden blonde- i mean, flowing golden blonde locks, i had too- if you care about those kind of things... uh... reread my shitty fanfic you coward-</p><p>okayilybye</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Awakening To The Same Old Remus-y World</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just a short lil remus-centric filler chapter lmao</p><p>I mean, warning already that this chapter is very remus-y, mentions of sex and stuff so yEah-</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>Remus felt like he had trampled on when he finally woke up. "Fuuuuuck." Was the first thing out of his mouth. He heard a chuckle, blinking his eyes open to see who it was. </p><p>"Welcome back from death." Janus said with a smirk and an eye roll. Remus managed a small grin, "Were you waiting for me?" </p><p>Janus rolled his eyes once more, "Forgive me for thinking you might of actually died after you were out for.... eighteen hours." Remus' eyes widened, "<em>Eighteen</em>?" </p><p>Janus nodded, "To be fair, your body was hit with a tracking spell then thrown into the side of a mountain." Remus stared at him, "<em>Thrown into the side of a mountain</em>?"</p><p>Janus blinked, "Oh, right... yeah you don't know anything that happened, do you?" Remus shook his head, but his grin had grown times ten, "What happened!? it sounds fantastic!" </p><p>Janus laughed almost in disbelief, "Remus, there's no way your telling me you don't ache like hell right now." Remus hummed, "I guess, but as i've told you before, i have a super high pain tolerance!" </p><p>Janus sighed, "Alright. Well, you know that dark creature?" Remus nodded, "Yeah, so him and this guy, the head guard of Avia." Remus cackled, "He hates me." Janus smirked, "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me." </p><p>"So, him and the creature were there, obviously wanting Patton and Roman back. Not sure why the creature was working with him, but it's not great news for us." Janus sighed.</p><p>"Anyways, so that dark creature fucking <em>threw</em> you, Logan, Emile and Remy into a mountainside, hell, for all we knew you were dead." It went quiet for a moment. </p><p>"So...." Janus begun again, "We fought them off, the dark creature kind of melted into the ground or something gross and we left James frozen. Then we came to find you guys." </p><p>"Huh. You could of told that a lot more dramatically." Remus said, disappointed. Janus rolled his eyes, "Atleast you're not <em>dead</em>!" Remus cackled, "I love a good brush with death!" </p><p>Janus sighed heavily, "You..." Remus grinned, then he noticed something, "Hey, what happened to your cheek?" Janus looked up, "Hm? oh, yeah, well i almost got my head chopped off so." He went over to by the door and picked up James' sword, taking it back over to Remus.</p><p>"To be fair, you, Logan, Emile and Remy got royally fucked up, and Patton's arm is now jett black." Remus stared up at him, "How much did i miss?!" </p><p>"Oh, and this guy James was holding hostage, his name is Thomas, is like, with us now." Janus added. "By the way, do you know how to use this?"</p><p>Remus took the sword from him, "Nope! but i'll try my best!" Janus took it back, "Ha, no." </p><p>Remus pouted, "Buuttt, someone should use it, or it's a wasteee!" Janus rolled his eyes once more, (<em>If someone gave me a human skull every time he rolled his eyes, i could build an entire skull throne</em> <em>by now!</em> Remus thought) "If no one knows how to use it, we'll just keep it somewhere for now, as long as James doesn't have it we're fine." </p><p>Remus blew a raspberry at him, which Janus ignored. "Hold on, how'd you even know his name?" </p><p>"Roman told us. Apparently, he's had some experience with the guy. Says he's basically completely insane. So that's fun." Janus said the last part sarcastically. </p><p>"So what you're saying is, a totally insane dude is trying to get Patton and Roman back with the help of a mysterious dark creature who can do witchcraft, they don't care if people die, plus they want to kill you and Virgil, probably in the worst way they can imagine." Remus said.</p><p>"...Yep."</p><p>"Fantastic!" Remus grinned and jumped up. "Oh also, that dark creature can see people's fear." Janus added. </p><p>Remus blinked. </p><p>"IT GETS BETTER!"</p><p>--</p><p>Remus walked out onto the deck of the boat, "What's up with the purple bubble?" He asked, looking up at the shiny translucent what looked like a bubble around the ship.</p><p>"It's an invisibility shield. It might not help us, but we had to try something to not get caught out like that again. Everyone's been on edge and it's all a mess. Virgil came to me earlier and said he and Roman had an awkward thing and now they can't talk to eachother, so that's fun." Janus mumbled. </p><p>Remus turned and grinned at him, "You know that means they totally made out, right?" Janus made a disgusted face, "Ew! they did<em> not</em>." </p><p>Remus cackled, "You can't protect him foreverrr! he's gonna start making out with people soon enough!" Janus death stared him. "No need to look so sour my love, we can make out too!" </p><p>"I have to ask, what exactly do you think our relationship is, Remus?" Janus asked with a sigh. "You pretending you don't absolutely love me to death, while i, the realist, don't hide the fact we're made for eachother and openly show my affection." Remus said matter-of-factly. </p><p>Janus sighed once more, "You're right Remus. That is absolutely what is going on here." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Remus beamed, "I knew it!" </p><p>"Sooo... about the making out part." Remus shuffled closer to the other. Janus took a step back, "Nope." Remus moved closer again, "But you've never done it before, don't you wanna tryyyyy it?"</p><p>Janus took even more steps back, "Noooopppe." Remus moved closer once more, "Come on, let me kiss your beautiful face and then wreck havoc on your beautiful body!" </p><p>"No. Just... no." Janus shook his head, "I.... no." </p><p>"I will take your virginity in the best possible way." Remus said proudly. </p><p>"That is a terrifying statement." </p><p>--</p><p>"Soo.... you're thomothy, hm?" Remus said, slinking (Yes, slinking. It's the only appropriate word.) up behind Thomas. </p><p>Thomas startled and turned his head, "Uh... hi?" Remus grinned, "Howdy!" </p><p>"Your... Remus, aren't you?" Thomas asked. Remus nodded violently, it looked like his head was about to pop off. </p><p>"I see my reputation perceives me! good!" </p><p>Thomas stared at him in disbelief, "I... thought you were atleast half-joking." He whispered to Emile. Emile shook his head with a slightly sympathetic smile, "Nope."</p><p>"So..." Remus got even closer, tentacles slowly crawling out from behind his back. Thomas gulped. </p><p>"I heard you were the one who used that tracking spell on me the first time..." Remus' voice went deep, different to his usually squeaky horrible voice, and somewhat threatening. </p><p>"I- i- i'm sorry! i- i didn't want to!" Thomas stuttered. Remus leaned over him, using the tentacles to push himself off the ground and be taller. </p><p>"You think sorry will cut it?" Remus growled. Thomas looked like he was about to shit himself, which seemed to be enough for Remus.</p><p>He cackled and sank back down, shit-eating grin on his face. Thomas still looked terrified, only now also confused. </p><p>"Your face! Ooo, i love giving people a good scare! you know, i knocked Roman out the other day and Patton thought he was dead! it was fantastic!" </p><p>Thomas was just staring at him in even more disbelief than before. "W-what?" </p><p>"Don't worry thomothy, i'm not mad! Barely felt a thing!" Remus flapped his hand. </p><p>"You sounded like a dying goat." Remy interjected. Remus sent him a look, "A <em>majestic</em> dying goat!" </p><p>"S- so you're not mad?" Thomas asked. Remus shook his head, "Nope!" Thomas breathed out in relief, "Good, because those tentacles are terrifying." </p><p>"Well, i could definitely kill you with them. In many ways, actually! would you like to hear them?" Remus asked eagerly. Thomas quickly shook his head, "Nope, no thanks."</p><p>"Oh, and just to let you know Thomas." Janus came forward, "You can't escape now. Your stuck with us." </p><p>Thomas stared at him, and Janus smirked. "Well, toodles!" Remus giggled and waved before grabbing Janus arm and pulling him out.</p><p>"Those two... are so weird." Thomas said, almost in a whisper. Remy laughed, "Babes, everyone here is weird." </p><p>Thomas turned to him, "True. What are the other four doing right now again?" Emile hummed in thought, "I think they're outside, pretty sure Logan is trying to figure out the limits of and how Virgil's shield works while Patton and Roman are trying to figure out if he can pull a fish through it." </p><p>Thomas blinked, "Is that... a valid use of time?" Remy shrugged, "One of them is. Up to you to figure out which." </p><p>Thomas blinked once more, "I.. is that a trick question?" </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>lmao i might have to up the rating to mature for Janus and Virgil's backstory, i finalized in my head how i want it to go and oh boy it's dark- when it comes up i plan on doing some parts from younger Janus and Virgil's perspectives too so YIKES- on one hand, cute babies, on the other hand.... YIkEs-</p><p>Okay so like i wanted to add a part like Remus turns around after his voice went all deep and Janus just stood behind him like "dang, that was hot" but i didn't for.. obvious reasons rip-<br/>lmao i just really needed to post a chapter it's pretty bad and i'm sorry</p><p>also.... #thomasneedshelp</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Bonus Chapter: Extra stories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Different chapter today chaps! sorry it's not the next actual chapter, i need a lil while sorry. Hope you enjoy this though! &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Logan and Roman's first kiss</p><p><br/>
Roman groaned, he resisted the urge to slam his head down onto his dresser. A thought had been plaguing his mind for almost a week now, and it just would not go away! </p><p>It had started when he came to the suddenly realisation he had never actually kissed anyone. And then he become very depressed about it. He was eighteen, he should of had his first kiss already, right? </p><p>Just as he was in the middle of one of his self-pity sessions, Logan walked into the room. "Prince Roman, i-" Logan cut himself off, blinking, "Why do you have that look on your face?"</p><p>Roman sighed, "It's a look of pure self-pity, Logan." Logan nodded, "Ah. I see." He then continued on whatever he was saying before, "So, as i was saying, you-" </p><p>"Logan! you're supposed to ask me what's wrong!" Roman huffed. "Ah yes, i remember now, when someone is feeling a negative emotion you are supposed to ask why, correct? Well then, why are you feeling self-pity, Prince Roman?" </p><p>"I've told you, you can just call me Roman. Also, i'm bummed because i haven't kissed anyone yet. I'm supposed to off by this age!" Roman didn't bother to resist the urge that time, although he did go over to his giant plush bed first before slamming down. </p><p>"I see, and that is a concern? Well, i don't see why. I have never kissed anyone, it doesn't seem very important." Roman shot up at that. Logan was fairly attractive, not that he had spent any time thinking about it of course, he was surprised to hear the other had never kissed anyone.</p><p>"Really?" Roman asked. Logan nodded, "Yes. I have never had any interest in kissing someone." </p><p>"Oh." Roman said flatly, "You don't like get crushes on people and stuff? that's not the same, Logan." </p><p>Logan raised an eyebrow, "That is not what i said. If your implying that i do not have attraction to people, you are mistaken." </p><p>Roman sighed, "Okay, so you just have never met anyone you actually want to kiss? Well, okay then but that doesn't help me. I've seem some cute boys i'd love to give a smooch! but i've never gotten a chance." </p><p>Suddenly, an idea clicked in his brain. He had a pretty cute boy infront of him, again, not that he thought about it or anything, but.... </p><p>"Logan, what if we kiss?" The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. Logan blinked, "I.... pardon?" </p><p>"I..." Roman could feel his face heating up, "I just thought, neither of us have ever kissed anyone, sooo..." He turned away, not able to look Logan in the eyes any longer. </p><p>"So it's for the purpose of trying something new? like an experiment, in a way?" Logan asked. Roman turned back to him, eyebrow raised, "I guess so..?"</p><p>Logan hummed, "Well, i suppose it couldn't hurt to experiment with something new. Do you have any idea how this is supposed to work?" </p><p>Roman scoffed, "Well usually it's not a planned experiment. Usually people do it out of... liking eachother." He shrugged. </p><p>"I see." An awkward silence fell between them, neither of them sure who should make the next move and also what the hell they were even doing.</p><p>Roman took a deep breath and moved forward, he didn't touch Logan in any other away apart from the actual kiss, feeling it would be awkward even to just touch his arm or something. </p><p>It obviously felt a little forced. There was the slight awkwardness too. Roman tried to rethink it, he was just kissing a cute guy, right? Well actually this was the guy who worked for him. That was weird. Oh god, did Logan just do this because he thought it was an order or something? </p><p>It didn't last long, Roman pulled away quickly after that thought. "Well that was... uh... interesting." </p><p>"It was awful, Roman." Logan said bluntly. Roman gasped in offence, "How dare you!" Logan rolled his eyes, "You know it was." </p><p>Roman huffed and turned away. Okay, so fine, it wasn't exactly <em>magical</em>. But atleast he had had a first kiss now.</p><p>--</p><p>The first time Janus turned into the snake</p><p><br/>
"Hey! get back here, damn brats!" Janus wasn't listening to what they were saying, just using the voice to know how close they were. It's not easy to run when you have a seven year old with you, you know.</p><p>Janus internally cursed as they ran into a dead end, shit, they were fucking dead. He wanted to use his magicks, but it was difficult. Something could go wrong, because of the-</p><p>"They went this way." Janus grabbed Virgil and dived behind a bush. His little brother looked absolutely terrified, rightfully so. Janus had known it was risky to try and steal from some huge rich guys, but he was inexperienced, okay!?</p><p>"Come out here, it'll be easier if you do. Look, i'm not a monster, come out here and i'll go easy on you."<em> Pft</em>, Yeah, Janus wasn't naive enough to believe that. He definitely wasn't going to take another huge risk. </p><p>Virgil was trying to tuck himself into Janus' side, probably trying to hide. God, Janus hated seeing him like that, and maybe he would see things differently in the future, but then, he was a thirteen year old who thought it was best to do what he did. </p><p>However, the problem was that Virgil was making sound. You can't expect much from a literal child, but it was about to literally cost them their lives. </p><p>"Found you." Virgil barely remembered anything apart from the sound of the bush leaves, and then... the tree leaves... because a giant snake as tall as the trees had suddenly appeared. <br/>
<br/>
It was huge, wrapped in on itself with shiny yellow scales, they... kind of looked like Janus', Virgil thought. </p><p>It hissed violently, making the rich guy and his friends run away in fear. Virgil just sat there in shock, completely frozen, where did that snake come from, why is it so big, and where did Janus go!? </p><p>He could feel the tears coming, he was scared and he suddenly felt lonely. He squeezed his eyes closed, curling up into a ball as the tears started to fall. </p><p>"Hey hey, it's okay, there gone everything's okay virge!" Virgil looked up upon hearing his brother's voice, "J-janus?"</p><p>"Yeah, it's okay virge, everything's okay." Janus said soothingly, picking his brother up and holding him in his arms. "W-where did you go?" </p><p>"I... i don't really know. I... guess i can.. turn into a snake?" Virgil gasped, "That was you!?" Janus nodded. </p><p>"Wow! it was so big, you can keep us safe with that scary snake, right?" Janus smiled at him fondly, "Yeah, come on, let's go find a place to sleep tonight, shall we?" </p><p>They were safe, atleast for then. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>here, have some fun facts about this fic that nobody asked for-</p><p>✨Fun fact 1✨: originally, i was going to have Roman and Remus be brothers with a family scandal or some shit. Same mother, different father. Basically, their mother had Remus, and then said "bye bitches im going to go marry a king" and then had Roman so like rip Remus lMAO-</p><p>✨Fun fact 2✨: so u know that first tracking spell scene? it was originally supposed to be Remy who got tracked, but then i realised, James is a dick who doesn't care, he isn't going to know who the fuck Remy is lmao- he kinda knows of his existence, only from seeing him like... once. He knows Remus because... no one can forgot Remus.</p><p>✨Fun fact 3✨: less interesting, but until i actually told their ages Janus was supposed to be like 21, only a few years older than Virgil. However, Remus has been like 27-28 ish in my mind since the beginning, and when i realised the age gap i was like "O h-" when ur over like 20 seven years doesn't seem like that much, but when u think about a seven year old and fourteen year old- </p><p>✨Fun fact 4✨: when i first started this fic, i thought i was going to be awful at slowburning because i thought i'd just aCCidEntLY make them get together super fast, and yet now here i am, and i can't actually think of how to get them together now- I only know Remus and Janus and i have no idea how the rest of them are actually going to get that push to get together LMAO SEND HELP- i am an awful author i have no idea what i'm doing. I only think in demus/dukeciet SEND HELp-</p><p>✨Fun fact 5✨: not really anything like SeCrETS or anything, just something that might be interesting that'll probably never end up in the actual fic. Where they all came from and grew up:<br/>Logan: Avia<br/>Emile: Deria, both him and Logan grew up in pretty wealthy families<br/>Patton and Roman r obvs lmao<br/>Remus: Presthorpe Village, tWas a poor boy rip<br/>Remy: Cloudtown, basically grew up in the mafia, also i miss Remy's mother she's the best like- bitch is like "i don't condone violence" but if she found out anyone hurt Remy in any way she'd be out here with a fucking chainsaw-<br/>Virgil and Janus: lmao find out next few chapters u coward (why do we call eachothers cowards?-)</p><p>were those even remotely interesting? i have no idea- </p><p>I sometimes realise how stupid some of the things in this fic are. Like virgil and roman's entire relationship lMAO- like okay, so at first roman is like "fuck u, u heATHen" and then he's like "Fuck, lOGan i don't want him to dieeeee" so he saves him and then hes like "FUCK I HATE YOU AGAIN" and now he's like "WAIT SHIT HAS HE BEEN CUTE THIS ENTIRE TIME!?" lmao u FUCKING IDIOT ROMAN- FOR FUCKS SAKE AT ONE POINT THEY JUST BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF EACHOTHER WTF???  Virgil's just confused af and poor baby has big time trust issues- </p><p>Also like... Patton straight up just said "bye bitches i'm running away" like excuse me wot this is Patton he wouldn't dO THAT- plus like, the fact that two princes were able to get out of their castles FULL of guards is so stupid- lmao me cinema sins-ing myself- Fanfic sins, someone do that i'm here for it- </p><p>Remy is also badly written but i've accepted that lmao- i ended up writing him as the mom of the group, because i thought that since Remy and Remus were the ones who kinda started it in the first place. But then they just kept.. being incharge, more specifically Remy lMAO- i made him so smart and responsible its AWFUL- he's not like that at ALL- Emile over here being the only character written somewhat correctly- don't come at me i write them all awfully. Logan, too... okay i guess he's fine. Roman, he's an idiot. Virgil, he's an idiot. Janus, he's a FUCKING IDIOT- plus i just like h a v e to make him baby, despite the fact he's literally not baby but WHO GIVES A FUCK- Remus, too soft Remus doesn't do soft ever no matter what ever no it's wrong. Patton is just like... idek- And HOW THE FUCK DO I WRITE THOMAS I STRAIGHT UP FORGOT HE WAS EVEN THERE IN THE LAST CHAPTER LMAO- </p><p>Wait, omg when was the last time Remus asked Janus to sleep with him? oMG- IS THAT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT OR CHARACTER FAILURE I DON'T EVEN KNoW-</p><p>I need to shut up okay bye sorry for wasting ur time lmao bye &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Watch Out For The Storm - Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Patton's arm raises more questions and panic, and then a storm approaches.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Patton awoke with a start.<br/>
<br/>
A nightmare? he rarely got those, but he supposed everyone got them sometimes. </p><p>He took a few deep breaths, trying to keep himself calm. Parts of the nightmare flashed before his eyes, making it increasingly difficult. Then he felt something strange, like something was crawling up his arm. A bug perhaps? he didn't like the idea of it being a spider, but if it was, he didn't want to touch it!</p><p>He couldn't see much, it was still dark, but the light of the moon shone through the door. He moved his arm to be in the light, then when he saw what it was, let out a high-pitched loud scream.</p><p>The blackness that covered the lower half of his left arm was<em> growing</em>. Moving further up his arm like water spreading across a surface, but inky and gross.</p><p>Of course, the scream woke the others, rustling and confused groans filled the room.<br/>
<br/>
"What the<em> fuck</em> was that?"</p><p>"M-my arm! t-the- it's sp- spreading!" Patton stuttered out in panic. He heard someone shuffle, then remembered that Emile was in the bed next to him when he felt an hand touch his shoulder.</p><p>"It... it is!" Emile gasped. Patton could almost <em>feel</em> the panic and confusion rise in the room. Logan, who was on the other side of Patton, also went over to his bed. </p><p>"That is... fascinating." He said quietly. "Logan! not the time!" Emile scolded. Logan blinked, "Ah. Right, apologies. Patton, you need to steady your breathing. In for four seconds, hold for four seconds, out for four seconds."</p><p>Patton nodded, he got his breathing under control once more.</p><p>"It's late still, everyone go back to sleep." Logan said out loud. </p><p>"What do you think it is?" Patton asked in a whisper. "I don't know. But we will deal with it tomorrow." Logan replied.</p><p>Patton breathed out, "Right.. okay. Goodnight." </p><p>--</p><p>It was a rainy morning, it matched the mood on board of the ship. Amongst the stress that now followed them all around, the mystery of Patton's arm was adding even more, especially to Patton himself.</p><p>Logan was pacing around, clearly deep in thought. He stopped, and turned to Patton. "Why were you awake in the first place?"</p><p>Patton blinked, "Oh... a nightmare." Logan raised an eyebrow, "A nightmare? you had a nightmare, woke up, and then the marking on your arm started to spread?" </p><p>Patton slowly nodded, "Yeah i guess." Logan hummed in thought, "I... wonder... that creature, it has some sort of link to fear..."</p><p>Patton swallowed, remembering his encounter with the creature before, "Y-yeah.. it can like, see people's fears." </p><p>"A nightmare is a manifestation of fears. Do you mind saying what your nightmare was about?" Logan asked. Patton bit his lip, and Logan rephrased his question.</p><p>"Was your nightmare about the same thing the creature showed you?" To that, Patton slowly, slower than before, nodded his head. Logan turned away, "I see..."</p><p>Patton tilted his head slightly, "What are you thinking?" Logan sighed, putting his hands behind his back, "Well... what if that creature feeds off of fear? that marking, it's like a part of itself it left behind, and when you feel your fear, it grows more." </p><p>Patton felt like he had been hit with a brick, what? it made more sense than Patton wanted to believe. "B-but.. i'm scared a lot! it hasn't grown before now!" </p><p>Logan shook his head, "No, it hasn't.... perhaps it only spreads when you feel your very worst fear." </p><p>"I don't even know what my worst fear <em>is</em>!" Patton cried, he could feel tears forming in his eyes. Logan looked at him for a moment, seeming in thought still, until he noticed the tears and snapped out of it. </p><p>Patton had never been good at holding back his tears, and unsurprisingly, this time was no different. Atleast he had cried infront of Logan before, it was nothing new. </p><p>Just as before, he found himself presented with a handkerchief. He sniffled and took it gratefully. But he couldn't get himself to stop crying, because he was <em>scared.</em></p><p>He had a weird... whatever it was on his arm that could <em>grow</em>! what if it took over his body completely? would he turn into one of the dark creatures?! </p><p>He found himself crying harder at those thoughts. What if he <em>died</em>? what if once it reached a certain point, the creature could do something like control him? </p><p>What if it made him a liability to the rest of the group? what if it caused them to get caught? What if- he hadn't noticed he had completely tuned out the real world until he felt arms wrap around him.</p><p>"Please stop crying." It was more a desperate plea than a nice sentiment, but Patton attempted to slow his tears nonetheless.</p><p>Logan had pulled him into an awkward hug, it made Patton laugh a little at Logan's pure awkwardness, despite the fact he seemed to have done the same thing with Roman a million times before.</p><p>Patton slowly pulled away, wiping away his tears. "Thank you, Logan." Logan sighed out, somewhat in relief, "It is, ah, as i've heard others say, no worries." </p><p>Patton smiled, "I really would've thought you had gotten a better grip on hugs by now, Roman's definitely a hugger when he's upset." </p><p>"I... it's different. Roman... well, he would come over, drop himself into my space, and force me to hug him. I got used to him after a while, however you are... not him. It is different." Logan said stiffly.</p><p>"Oh.." Patton had never considered how different people may feel different to someone who isn't so naturally social. To him, he could hug anyone instantly and it was great! But to Logan, each person was completely new and it took time.</p><p>Patton sent him a bright smile, "Well, thank you for stepping out of your comfort zone for me! that was sweet of you. I'm okay now though." </p><p>Logan blinked, "Oh... you're... welcome. Do you wish for some time alone?" Patton thought for a moment, "I don't mind, if you want to leave, you can, but if you want to stay, that's okay too."</p><p>It went quiet, Logan was looking at him with a look Patton couldn't quite pin before he spoke, "I suppose i'll stay. I.. don't really have anything else to do." </p><p>Patton smiled at him once more, "Alrighty!"</p><p>--</p><p>"It's getting pretty choppy. We should probably dock the ship." Remy murmured, coming back inside from the deck. </p><p>"There's nothing really around here." Logan said, looking at the map. "I know, but if it turns into a full blown storm we can't be out here." Remy sighed.</p><p>Logan nodded, "You are correct. Let's do that then." <br/>
<br/>
</p><p>They found an old broken down dock, it was a little questionable, but the storm was picking up and they couldn't afford to question it.</p><p>So they found themselves in an unfamiliar place, just as the rain started to pour down on them. "This is great." Janus mumbled sarcastically.</p><p>"Let's just get shelter from the trees." Remy sighed, directing the group into the large area of trees. It didn't solve the problem, but it helped a little. They all kind of stopped, not knowing what to do next.</p><p>"What are we supposed to do now?" Roman asked, hand over his head to try and keep the rain still drizzling down off his face. "I don't know. I... know there is a town around here somewhere, but..." Remy begun, his words drifting off.</p><p>"Dusk Town." Logan filled in. There was a few sounds of surprise, "Isn't that place like, a complete dead man's town?" Roman asked. </p><p>"It is known for being an extremely unpleasant area, lots of illegal activity going on. It would not be a good place for us to go." Logan said.</p><p>Remy shook his head, "It's got to be better than here, right?" </p><p>"No." They all turned in surprise at the firm tone of Janus' voice, "We are <em>not</em> going there." </p><p>"Janus-"</p><p>"<strong>No.</strong>" </p><p>Remy raised an eyebrow, brushing off his surprise, "Why?" Janus' stern face suddenly turned into a nervous one, "I-" He took a step backwards, but bumped into Remus behind him, who slipped and fell down the muddy, rocky slope next to them.</p><p>"Shit!" Janus slid down the slope as fast as he could while trying not to also fall, and reached to where Remus had landed at the bottom.</p><p>"Shit, shit, i'm sorry- fuck-" Remus cut him off, "Woah, relax, i'm okay! i'm just muddy, but i love being covered in mud!" </p><p>Janus blinked, "Huh? but-" Remus sat himself up, "Your acting kinda off, you okay?" Janus didn't respond. <br/>
<br/>
After a moment, he turned his head around and up at the others, "Come down here." Remus sent him a look of confusion, "But i'm fine-" He was cut off by the others making there way down, "Are you alright Remus?" Patton asked.</p><p>Remus nodded, "I'm fantastic, as always!" Remy smiled at him and rolled his eyes, "Okay, come on." Remus almost instantly regained his grin, not caring about the mud all over his back. </p><p>"Uh... guys... we... can't get back up." Roman called out to them. They all turned, "What?" Remy asked. </p><p>Remus went over, he attempted to climb back up, but he couldn't get a grip, "Oh yeah. We stuck." He said plainly. </p><p>"What?! we're stuck down here?!" Patton gasped. "Hey, hey, it'll be okay, let's just stay calm!" Roman said, rushing over to Patton and put his arm around the other's back, in an attempt to calm him. More Patton tears wouldn't help anyone right now. </p><p>He glanced around, he was looking for Virgil, he should be freaking out right then, but he couldn't hear anything. They weren't exactly talking, and it was still extremely awkward between them, but Roman still cared about him. He finally spotted him, sat next to Janus, still on the ground.</p><p>He raised an eyebrow, what were they doing? He brushed it off for then, they needed to find a way back upwards, being stuck down in the mud with the heavy rain was <em>not</em> fun.</p><p>"If we keep walking, we might find a less steep way up." Emile suggested. Remy nodded, "Yeah, yeah... that's probably our best bet." </p><p>So they begun to walk, by then they were all soaked and muddy and in need of shelter, so when Remus spotted a building, he immediately pointed it out, "What is that? that building?"</p><p>Everyone sent him a confused look, "Remus... what are you talking about?" Remy asked. "There! are you blind?!" Remus scoffed, he began moving towards it. </p><p>He had no idea how far they had gone, but they seemed to be pretty deep into the trees by then. Plus it was still raining hard, maybe he was the one seeing things? ... No, they were definitely the crazy ones.</p><p>"I... i see it." Virgil said, following Remus and pulling Janus with him. Janus nodded, "Me too." The rest of the group exchanged looks, they couldn't see a thing.</p><p>Remus kept going till he was stood right infront of it, there was a weird pinkish glow around it, it looked like magicks essence. "Ooo!" Without any hesitation, he stuck a hand forward. </p><p>It went right through, so he fully went forward, moving effortlessly through the essence. He heard a gasp, "What?!" He turned, he could still see the others, but they were looking around as if they couldn't see <em>him</em>.</p><p>He also noticed it had stopped raining on him, which was a bonus. He stepped back out, and eyes were on him instantly. "Did i disappear or some shit?" Remus joked.</p><p>"YES." Remy said seriously. Virgil shook his head, "No... but... i think this is some sort of magical building, and... that looks like some sort of magical barrier..." </p><p>Logan walked over to them, "A magical barrier? interesting. You see a building infront of us, correct?" Virgil nodded, "Yeah... it's pretty big, and fancy looking.."</p><p>Remus grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him forward. He stopped at the barrier, it wasn't like it was solid, more like sticky glue, Remus had to pull him through. </p><p>When Logan was through the barrier, he blinked and looked up, "Holy Joan.... this is incredible!" He didn't even bother to try and hide the excitement in his voice, there was an entire hidden building that it seemed only magicks user could see! He was dying to know what it was. </p><p>Remus grinned and stepped back out, "So, who's ready for an adventure in this mysterious building we found~?" </p><p>Virgil stepped forward into the barrier, once again pulling Janus with him, the other still seemed rather out of it, and the rest of the group came forward. </p><p>"Uh, Logan?" Patton called out, he couldn't see the other at all, "Did... did it hurt? being pulled through?" He couldn't hear a reply. </p><p>Remus grinned even wider, "Guess you'll just have to find out!" He grabbed Patton's hand and pulled him forward. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ehughejg JEJGJEGjnafijegej</p><p>that's all i'm gonna say.</p><p>Hope you enjoyed.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Watch Out For The Storm - Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The mysterious building turns out to be something different than the group thought.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>It took a while, but eventually they pulled everyone through. They could now all see the building infront of them, grand, not to tall, but rather wide. It was mostly white, pristine and almost shining, with tinted multi-coloured windows. </p><p>There was a huge wooden door, with all sorts of swirls and patterns carved into it, plus a few extra colours dotted about, such as white and light pink and yellow. </p><p>Above the door was more carvings, except instead of just patterns, it was... lots and lots of much smaller engravings, some connected to eachother, some not. </p><p>"What is this place?" Roman asked, wherever it was, it was beautiful, but he couldn't shake the feeling he wasn't supposed to be there. </p><p>"Uh..." Remus took a few steps forward, closer to the door, looking upwards. "The.... Magicks... Library?" He said slowly. "You... are those <em>words</em>?" Logan asked in disbelief.</p><p>Remus turned his head back, "Well.. yeah. I guess so. You can't read that?" Logan, and all the others apart from Virgil and Janus, shook their heads. </p><p>"Wait, a magicks library?!" Logan gasped and moved forward quickly, "Are  you meaning to tell me, this is an entire library full of information on magicks?" </p><p>Remus shrugged, "Yeah i guess so. You look like your about to shit yourself nerd, calm down." Logan didn't even seem to hear the second half of his sentence, he was looking up at the building with the longing of a toddler looking at candy.</p><p>"It's not exactly huge, but it's pretty big. How much information do you think is in there?" Remy asked outloud. "A lot. I hope it's a lot." Logan said.</p><p>Remy rolled his eyes, then remembered something, "Wait, so... do you think you had to pull us through because... we're not magicks users?" </p><p>"That... would make sense." Thomas stepped forward, he had been quiet the entire time, since he was still new to the group, he didn't want to intrude. </p><p>"Wowie, i forgot you were here!" Remus cackled, looking at him. Thomas sighed, yeah, that was kind of the idea. He definitely wasn't a fan of Remus.</p><p>"I <em>must</em> see what's inside." Logan insisted. He walked over to the door, but no more than two seconds after he placed a hand on it, a unknown force pushed him back, making him fall to the ground.</p><p>"Logan!" Patton rushed forward before anyone else even processed what happened, "Are you okay?" He asked, bending down to the ground.</p><p>"Ah, yes i'm okay Patton." Logan said, he pushed himself up and with Patton's help sat up fully. "This whole place seems to have a protective feature about it, fascinating really. Perhaps either Remus, Virgil or Janus should try to open the door." </p><p>Virgil and Janus exchanged a look, but Remus was quicker. He rushed forward, pushing on the huge heavy door. It opened, and after pushing it fully open, Remus flashed them all a grin. </p><p>They all one by one by their way inside. Janus was the last one, Remus stopped him, "Hey, you were acting kind of weird, are you okay?"</p><p>Janus didn't respond for a moment, before he breathed out and looked at Remus, "Yeah, i'm okay." </p><p>"Why-?"</p><p>"Not now, Remus." Was all he said before he walked inside. Remus followed after him, wondering what on earth had gotten into the other. It was like he turned into a different person for a moment, the normal Janus would of barely apologized, probably just rolling his eyes with a slight smile after Remus said he wasn't hurt. </p><p>He train of thought was cut off by them all being surrounded by darkness as the door slammed shut. "Well that's...not good." Remus commented. </p><p>"It... didn't quite look so dark from the outside.. did it?" Someone, it sounded like Emile, asked. "It... literally looked like nothing. We walked into nothing." Roman said, realising how stupid it was for them to walk into a building that oozed magicks. </p><p>"Maybe it's another magicks thing?" Remus thought outloud, he took a few steps forward, then bumped into someone. He didn't know who, but he heard a sound of surprise and them stumble forward, onto something that didn't sound like the wood the rest were standing on.</p><p>Then, a bright purple light invaded all of their eyes. After adjusting enough to even be able to see, Remus saw it was Virgil he had bumped into, who  was now standing on a some glass circle of sorts, which was were the bright light was coming from.</p><p>A disembodied voice then filled the room with the words, "Spells magicks user detected, welcome to The Magicks Library." </p><p>Pinky-purplish light filled the room, although much softer than the light from the strange glass panel in the ground. They all blinked, eyes adjusting once more to the normal lighting. </p><p>Remus could now see fully what Virgil was standing on, it was indeed some sort of glass panel, although the light was now gone, leaving it just black underneath, with a golden rim around it. </p><p>"<em>Amazing</em>. This place responds completely and only to magicks." Logan gasped, taking in his surroundings. </p><p>Not that you could blame him, really. There was the pale pinky-purpleish walls, and the golden framed photos covered them. No windows in the entire building, but the light, that seemed to be coming from nowhere, was enough. There was rows of deep purple bookshelves, filled with books of all different shapes and sizes.</p><p>Stood right infront of Virgil was a stand with a golden plaque on the top, words written in the mysterious language. "Huh... so not only did past magicks users have whole buildings, they also had their own whole language... that's a lot." Virgil mumbled.</p><p>"Hm..." Emile turned around, looking at the four huge painting, two on each side of the door. "Hey... are these people important?" He asked. Remus came over, "Hmm, let's see... Sir Everett Hayley, Co-founder of The Magicks Library, spells magicks user."</p><p>"Oo, what about the others?" Remus scanned his eyes over to others, "Lady Genevieve Cromwell... Co-founder... Nathaniel Keene... these four were all spells magicks users, and the founders." </p><p>Virgil spun around, "Wait, all four of them were spells magicks users?" Remus nodded and Virgil walked over, "But... i thought that creature said they were practically non-existent?"</p><p>"Actually, it said that they was just no information on them.... maybe it's all here." Emile said, gesturing his arm around the library. </p><p>Virgil turned his head, looking around the rows of books. He'd always had questions about spells magicks, and no one to answer them. Maybe now he could find the answers he was looking for.</p><p>"Hey.. it uh, says something over here on this plaque." Janus called out. The rest gathered around it, and Remus begun reading it outloud.</p><p>"Welcome to The Magicks Library, a safe haven and informational zone for magicks users. Founded by four powerful spells magicks users, mostly used by spells magicks users over time, for safety and for peace, as they are known to keep to themselves. No information here must reach the ears of a regular human, magicks users stick with magicks users, and humans stick with humans. Enjoy your time here.... i... i can't read that last word." Remus mumbled. </p><p>They all exchanged looks, "Safety...?" Patton echoed. "Was there something between regular humans and magicks users?" </p><p>"I've.. never heard of any sort of war or such, as far as i know theres always been peace between the two." Logan said, he looked in deep thought.</p><p>"Not exactly complete peace." Janus mumbled, although no one seemed to hear him. "Well.. maybe we can find out." Roman suggested, "There are... a lot of books here."</p><p>The others all looked around the shelves, yeah... this was going to take a while.</p><p>--</p><p>"I wish i could read them for myself." Logan sighed, he was standing with Patton and Virgil, everyone had more or less grouped off into different areas of the library.</p><p>He looked over at Virgil, he was looking down at one the books with a concentrated and somewhat confused expression. "Virgil?" Logan said, Virgil startled slightly, then looked over at him.</p><p>"Yeah?" Logan raised an eyebrow, "Are you alright?" Virgil nodded, "Yeah i just..." He took a deep breath, "I don't.... i can't... icanbarelyreadokay." </p><p>Logan blinked, trying to process the confusing mushed together words. When he did he simply nodded, "I see. Does it apply to this language also?" </p><p>Virgil looked surprised, "Uhm, yeah kind off. I can... sorta read it, but it's difficult... you don't care that i can't really read?" </p><p>"If you have never had the opportunity to learn then it is not your fault, therefore no blame or shame should be put on you." Logan replied simply. </p><p>"I.. well, yeah i didn't really get the chance... Janus' reading skills aren't much better than mine, he tried to teach me but.... yeah." Virgil mumbled and shrugged. </p><p>"Perhaps we can figure it out together, right Patton?" Logan said, Patton jumped into the conversation from behind him, "Absolutely!"</p><p>Virgil gave them a small smile and moved the book towards them. "Uh, okay, so, i can read some of the words, i think this one is about... one of the founders?" </p><p>He skimmed across the page, "Everett Hayley.... was one... of ... the... most..." He stopped, brows furrowing in confusion. "Can you read the letters?" </p><p>Virgil nodded, "M-y-s-t-e-r-...i-o...u-s?" Logan processed it for a moment, "Mysterious." Virgil blinked, "Okay. So, Everett Hayley was one of the most... msyterious... spells magicks users."</p><p>It took a while, but eventually they got through it, the information wasn't key, but it was still kind of interesting, more so to Logan than the others. </p><p>"I think a lot of these are journals, personal writing, you know?" Virgil said, trailing a hand across some of the books. "I wonder if... people who have been here over the years, have left their writings behind...?"</p><p>He pulled one off, a battered green old book with pages crinkled and sticking out of the top. To his surprise, it was in english. He handed the book to Logan, who looked confused for a moment before reading the front. </p><p>"<em>The travelings of Missy Addington.</em>" He read, "Seems you were correct, this seems to be a personal journal. It's strange to think so many people have been here, isn't it? I wonder how long it's been around, it could be centuries.." Logan awed slightly at the thought, everything about magicks was so majestic and intriguing. </p><p>"I feel kind of strange in here." Virgil muttered, "Like... this whole place is full of magicks, but this place was made by spells magicks users, and it's full of writings and stuff from them and it's just so weird since... well, since no one knows anything about them. Plus that weird dark creature thing, surely it's got to be pretty old, right? i don't know, but it said it's never found a spells user before me.... how long has it been since there another one?" </p><p>He turned to the other two, Patton was looking at him concern and Logan was... still staring at the books, until Patton nudged his arm. Virgil sighed, "Sorry for rambling."</p><p>Patton shook his head, "It's okay kiddo. I get it, it must be weird to feel so much like an odd one out. Atleast Remus and Janus have the same kind of magicks, but you probably feel pretty alone, huh?" </p><p>Virgil thought for a moment. He'd never felt alone before. Because he had Janus. They were both magicks users, the difference in the type had never bothered him before. They stuck together, they used their magicks to help eachother.</p><p>But then Remus came along. And he was just like Janus, and then it was two against one. And then he was told that his entire type was a complete mystery, and there was no one else like him in the entire region.... he nodded, "Yeah.... i guess it is pretty lonely."</p><p>He laughed, but sadly. He felt a hand on his shoulder, Patton was the smallest of them all, but his presence was still reassuring. Roman had mentioned he was somewhat like a father figure and Virgil agreed. </p><p>Ugh, <em>Roman</em>. Virgil was glad he had gone off elsewhere. Things were extremely weird and awkward between them. It wasn't Virgil's fault, it was Roman's fault. Why did he have to be so dumb and handsome.<em> Ew, Virgil no, he's not handsome</em>. He internally sighed, who was he kidding, Roman was stupidly attractive.</p><p>But that didn't mean Virgil was going to start acting like a love-sick idiot. He didn't have any feelings for Roman, he knew that. Roman was just a stupid, stuck up idiot. And besides, Virgil had never done liking people before, why would he start now?</p><p>Still, he wasn't sure how to go about easing the awkwardness between them. Virgil couldn't stand awkwardness, he couldn't live with it just hanging there, unresolved. </p><p>He debated asking Patton about it, he was good with feelings, right? He turned his head and opened his mouth but Patton was gone, now helping Logan try and find some more books in english so they could actually read them. </p><p>He sighed, maybe another time then.</p><p>--</p><p>"Are all of these books in this language?" Remy asked outloud, pulling one off of the shelf and flipping through it. </p><p>"I think so." Emile replied, looking over his shoulder and scanning over the page, "It looks so strange, just like weird symbols, there's not even any pattern to it.." </p><p>Remy hummed, turning his head towards Janus. "Uhm, hey, we could use some help over here magic man." </p><p>Janus spun around and raised an eyebrow, "What?" Remy rolled his eyes, "What's got you so distracted? you're more distant than the chances of me ever being with a girl."</p><p>Emile giggled at that, Remy grinned and winked at him. Janus sighed heavily, "I'm just kind of distracted, okay?" </p><p>"Are you to distracted to be able to read?" Remy asked. "Remy, be nice." Emile scolded gently. Janus walked over, looking at the cover of the book for a minute before, "Pretty sure that's just a random journal."</p><p>Remy hummed and put it back, "Alright, so where's the actual interesting books, snake eye?" He expected some sort of remark, from what he had seen, Janus wasn't one to take any shit, but he got nothing, Janus instead just looking around, trying to find something that looked important. </p><p>He spotted a lone shelf at the back of the library, standing on it only a few, big chunky, yet pristine looking books. "That's probably it, babes." Remy said, spotting it at the same time as Janus.</p><p>The three walked over, the biggest book of the shelf was practically shining, mixes of silver and pink and blue, it was definitely oozing with magicks, no regular book looked like that.</p><p>At that realisation, Emile and Remy both moved back a little, they already weren't supposed to be in there, if they touched something so clearly filled with magical essence they might get burned or something.</p><p>Janus blinked, looking at them, then back at the book. "Oh, okay i'll touch the practically glowing book then." He mumbled and slowly reached out, taking the book from the shelf. Nothing happened, luckily. </p><p>It was heavy however, and the overall size definitely wasn't helping, but he managed to stay up and balanced. He scanned over the cover, he was determined to not let the other two know of his lack of reading skill, annoyed by the fact it seemed to pass on into a magical language, it's magic, why can't he<em> magically</em> be able to read perfectly?</p><p>He wished Remus was there. Oh, ew, he when he did start thinking <em>that</em>? He cleared those thoughts and brought his focus back to the book. "It's... his...story.... of magicks?" </p><p>The three exchanged a look, this book could be full of helpful information, but it would take them <em>so</em> <em>long</em> to read it. "I wonder if you can take it out of the library?" Emile wondered outloud, "I mean, all of this stuff is supposed to be a secret, but you're a magicks user, maybe you can." </p><p>Janus hummed at the thought, it would be helpful, but also, this book was freaking huge. He sighed, "We can try, i guess? it'll take a long time to get through this. I mean, we don't exactly <em>need</em> the information. It's more of a want. More specifically from Logan." </p><p>Emile gasped, "Oh gosh, he's going to be so happy when he sees this! we have to go find him, come on." Janus sighed once more, Remy just shrugged and followed Emile to go find Logan.</p><p>"Oh okay i'll just take this heavy huge ass book myself then. These people..." Janus muttered, eventually following after them. </p><p>--</p><p>"I found one!" Remus jumped into Thomas and Roman's faces, holding a multicoloured book in hand. It had four colours on the front, cut into squares, red, blue, white and green. </p><p>"Found... what exactly?" Roman asked, raising an eyebrow. "An elemental magicks user book!" Remus said excitedly, he flipped the book open. </p><p>"Aren't you guys curious?" He asked, looking back up at them. "Is there stuff in there about the animal features and transformations? i've always been curious about that." Thomas asked. </p><p>Remus flicked through the pages, "Hm.... oh yep, right here! <em>Many people have wondered about these animal features, what are they are why do magicks users have them? The most mysterious question has been between the difference in spells and elemental based magicks, seeing that spells magicks users show no psychical animal features. However, elemental magicks users have shown to have some very prominent features, from ram horns to dragon scales. While, at first, these animal like looks and abilities were thought to be random, after questioning several magicks users, it proved to be more personal. If one, for example, were to have the features of a owl, they are most likely an old at heart, wise and calm person." </em></p><p>"Wait wait wait," Roman interjected,"Dragon scales? <em>Dragons</em>?" Remus scoffed, "Silly Roman, pretending dragons don't exist." Roman stared at him, "I- what?" </p><p>"Actually, dragons are real. They're just very rare, and they keep hidden." Thomas said, "I've seen one before." Remus turned to him, "Me too! his name was gilbert." </p><p>Thomas blinked, "I- ... okay, well, anyways. That's pretty interesting. So does that mean your like a.... what are you?" Remus grinned but Roman stopped him, "No. Not in here. It's an octopus, Thomas."</p><p>Remus pouted, "I wanted to show him!" Roman glared at him, "No." </p><p>"I don't know how octopus' are so." Thomas shrugged, "Although, snakes are..."</p><p>"Sneaky, slimy and slippery?"</p><p>"Cold-blooded." Roman deadpanned. "Geez, okay." Thomas said. </p><p>"Hey guys!" They all turned to the sound of a familiar voice, "We found a big book of magicks history!" </p><p>"IMAGINE ALL THE INFORMATION INSIDE!" They could hear Logan's voice further away, he sounded more excited than Roman had ever heard him. He rolled his eyes fondly, he truly loved his nerdy best friend.</p><p>"Great, can we get out of here? being in magicks filled places when your, ya know, not magic, is kind of uncomfortable." Remy said with a sigh. </p><p>"Yeah, we should probably go." Janus said, "Someone's gotta grab the nerd."</p><p>"PATTON, THINK ABOUT IT PATTON! <em>SO MUCH INTERESTING INFORMATION NO HUMAN BEFORE US HAVE EVER KNOWN</em>!"</p><p>--</p><p>Remus walked back out of the barrier first, it was still drizzling but the storm has mostly passed. He tugged the book he had grabbed through, no problem. "Alrighty, we can take the books!" He stuck his head in and called out. </p><p>He blinked when he pulled back out again, noticing the same pinky-purple glow that sat around the whole library around the book. "Huh? is it like a, a mini book barrier?" </p><p>He turned to the others as they came through, "That's weird, does it look like i'm holding nothing in my hands?" Logan, who had just been pulled back out the barrier, silently nodded, staring at Remus' hands.</p><p>Remus grinned, "Creepy, i love it." </p><p>Once everyone had been pulled back through, they all took a moment to pause. It was a completely different air in and outside of the barrier and library. It went from being magicks filled to just normal, it even felt different.</p><p>"So, what do we do now?" Remy asked, being the first one to speak up. "Well, the storm has mostly passed. However, we are dangerously low on a few supplies. We should go to Dusk town still." Logan said. </p><p>A silence hung around them, their gaze all falling to Janus. After his reaction last time, they all were confused and wondered what on earth was going on with that.</p><p>However, Virgil stepped infront of his brother, being the one to say something that time around. "We can't go there. Can't we atleast make it to the next village or town?" He asked, turning to Logan.</p><p>"Unfortunately, no." Logan shook his head. Virgil furrowed his brows, "Well then, go without us." </p><p>"Virgil, we can't leave you here! we're in the middle of nowhere." Patton said, he looked almost horrified Virgil would even suggest leaving them behind. </p><p>"You can come back after, we aren't going there." Virgil said firmly. "What even is your problem with Dusk town?" Remy asked, raising an eyebrow. </p><p>Virgil spared a glance behind him, then back at the others. "It's...." He trailed off, staring down at the floor. </p><p>"It's where we came from." </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Holy shit i'm sorry about the wait-  i finally managed to be able to write this without wanting to fucking d i e- lmao so there was supposed to be more lore, but like, lmao i can't do that shit- i mean, they have a whole book on the history of magicks, i'm sure it'll come up again later... *wink wink*</p><p>Let me give you guys a hint, the next chapter is going to be titled Watch out for the storm part three. </p><p>(Btw, i have some social media if you wanna follow me *cough i want ppl to like me cough* @oneslimyboi (twitter) Oneslimyboii (insta))</p><p>Also, i'd love to have a beta reader/just some to talk some things through with for this story, if your okay with some spoilers, add your discord username and tag below? (if you do, please make sure all the caps are correct, cuz discord is picky.) </p><p>Okay, toodles &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Watch Out For The Storm - Part 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The group go to Dusk Town, bringing back some memories for the brothers.</p><p>Warnings: reference to past abuse, mention of death</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the change in formatting lmao, it's google docs</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Even without the drizzles of rain and cloudy sky, Dusk town would not have been an appealing place. It was full of criminals, not a single person looked friendly, and the buildings were old and grimy, plus most of them looked like they were falling down.</p><p> </p><p>For a group of nine, they were at least decently safe. No two criminals would work together, lack of trust, and one person taking on nine people is just idiotic. </p><p> </p><p>But still, they kept together, their one goal to get what they needed and leave. </p><p> </p><p>"Are you alright?" Logan asked Virgil, his face looked fine but his body language was otherwise. Plus he had practically glued himself to Logan's side, Patton the other side of him and Roman beside Logan. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah just... god i hate this place." Virgil mumbled. Logan nodded, clearly whatever had happened here wasn't good. Patton took Virgil's hand, "Hey, it's okay."</p><p> </p><p>Virgil sent him a small smile, then glanced behind him. Janus was standing at the back of the group, walking alongside Remus. He was looking practically straight down so Virgil couldn't see his face, he hoped his brother was alright. Just the mention of the town had made Janus act strange. </p><p> </p><p>There had been a few times, moments where Virgil had to step in and be the older brother for a while, normally Janus could handle anything, but he functioned sort of like Virgil’s magicks did, you could keep going and do almost anything, but if you went too far, you drained yourself. And instead of being drained, Janus just became a mess, and Virgil didn’t like to think back to the other times it had happened.</p><p> </p><p>He'd seen Janus still put on a brave face when they were in moments of mortal peril, but he knew it was because of repressed trauma, when something brought it out it all exploded at once. He'd had a lot of time alone with Janus, enough to pick through his brother's brain, not that he really spoke to Janus about it. </p><p> </p><p>Right then, Virgil just wanted to get out of there, for everyone's sake. So he pushed forward, trying to find what they needed so they could leave. </p><p> </p><p>The people around them started to creep closer, Virgil eyed them, he leaned towards Logan and whispered, "We might have to run." Logan looked at him surprised, "Nothing serious but they will start to try and grab anything we have, and i don't think any of us want to have to fight them off right now." Virgil added.</p><p> </p><p>Logan looked around, then sent back a nod. They sped up their walking a little, the rest following suit. Virgil thought they were fine, almost making it through the main street where most of the people were, until he heard a yelp from behind.</p><p> </p><p>Someone had grabbed onto Emile's arm, Remy kicked them off but the others around them were about ready to pounce. "Okay, time to run!" Virgil said, tugging Patton, who was still holding his hand, along. </p><p> </p><p>He led them to a safer part of the town, he knew where to go and where to avoid. As a kid he and Janus had spent the least amount of time in the house as possible, so they had to find a safe place to go. </p><p> </p><p>Still, Dusk town was also known for being full of magicks haters. Mostly, they were jealous people, but jealousy could be dangerous. While neither Remus nor Virgil had any outstanding features that showed magicks, one of them did have, you know, snake scales. Kind of a giveaway.</p><p> </p><p>Once he had checked no one had followed them, Virgil came to a stop. "Okay.. sorry about that, probably should've warned you beforehand, if you aren't careful, people will try to mug you." </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, you weren't kidding about this being a town full of crime!" Roman huffed. Virgil sighed, "Yep, this place is a nightmare..." </p><p> </p><p>"Where are we?" Patton asked, looking around. "Near the graveyard, no one really comes around here." Virgil shrugged. "It's the only safe area in this place." He added in a mumble. </p><p> </p><p>Patton, Logan and Roman exchanged a worried look. When Virgil had said this is where he and Janus grew up, well, it wasn't super surprising considering it was clear they didn't grow up anywhere good, but the town most well known for being horrible throughout the whole region? It was… well. </p><p> </p><p>It wasn't a nice surprise, that's for sure. Patton spared a glance behind him, also worried about the other brother. Janus had seemed out of it since the town was brought up, and he wasn't any different now. </p><p> </p><p>He, and everyone else, just wanted to get out of there. But they couldn't quite yet. "Virgil, is there a way to safely get wares around here?" Logan asked.</p><p> </p><p>Virgil nodded, "Yeah, there's a place, an actually pretty decent guy used to run it, i hope he's still around." He ran a hand through his hair, "Honestly, people here could stick around for two minutes or for thirty years, there’s no law force around here, so if you're really wanted, you tend to stay for a while." </p><p> </p><p>Logan nodded, he questioned how Virgil remembered so much since it had seemingly been so long ago. "But we should probably stay here for a while, let it just wear off. Keeping nine people to a low profile will be difficult." </p><p> </p><p>The others nodded in agreement. Remus nodded and turned to Janus, he blinked, Janus was gone. Wait, he was <em>gone</em>. He looked around, "What the..." He muttered to himself, then he finally spotted the other, walking off in the other direction. </p><p> </p><p>Remus glanced at the others, none of them seemed to notice and Janus was about to go out of his sight, so he followed after the other. </p><p> </p><p>"Janus? Jan, where are you going?" He called out to him, but there was no response. He picked up his pace and caught up to the snake like one, but he still got no reply. </p><p> </p><p>They ended up on a narrow pathway, leading past a few small cottage-like houses. Remus looked up and around him, it was a much quieter part of the town, no one else seemed to be around. </p><p> </p><p>"No one lives around here anymore." Janus finally said, Remus hadn't even noticed Janus had turned around to look at him. Well, atleast that answered Remus' question, although it did raise another about if Janus could literally read minds.</p><p> </p><p>Janus kept walking, so Remus kept following him. He looked closer at the cottages and sure enough, they were old, falling apart, with nature taking over them. </p><p> </p><p>He wondered where they were going, why Janus had just left with no explanation. He hadn’t asked Remus to leave atleast, but that only made Remus have more questions.</p><p> </p><p>Finally Janus' walking slowed, and they were infront of another house, this one with the window smashed in and the door hanging open. Janus came to a full halt, staring up at it. </p><p> </p><p>Remus stopped behind him, he followed the other's gaze over the house. What was it? Was it... the house he grew up in? It had clearly been empty for a long time. </p><p> </p><p>"It's been eleven years, yet it still feels exactly the same..." Janus said quietly, he took a few slow steps forward. He pulled off his left glove and took his bare hand to the old stone, running a hand down it. </p><p> </p><p>"Janus..? is this... was this where you lived?" Remus asked. Janus slowly nodded, "Yeah... although, i can't say it brings back pleasant memories." </p><p> </p><p>Remus heard a tear sound, Janus pulled away from the wall, "And the wall is sharp." Remus blinked, Janus turned and he saw the other's now bleeding hand. </p><p> </p><p>"Geez, you okay?" Remus asked. Janus nodded, "Yeah... s'fine, barely feel it..." Remus raised an eyebrow, he looked Janus in the eye but it was pretty clear the other wasn't really there. He looked so distant, Remus felt his heart pang. </p><p> </p><p>He asked his next question carefully and quietly, ".... What happened here?" Janus offered a sort of sad, weak smile, "A lot.... when i was thirteen and Virgil was seven, we had to leave."</p><p> </p><p>"Had too?" Remus didn't want to push too far, but he couldn't deny the curiosity crawling up his throat. </p><p> </p><p>Janus silently nodded. "Why..?" </p><p> </p><p>"Because... i had to keep him safe." Remus took a step closer, "Safe...? From what?"</p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>"I wonder if..." Virgil looked over through some trees, "The graveyard..." He looked over at the others, "You don't have to come with me, i just want to check something."</p><p> </p><p>"We'll come, right guys?" Patton said, looking at Logan and Roman. The two nodded, and they followed Virgil through the trees, till they reached an area with a crumbling wall around it, the graveyard.</p><p> </p><p>Virgil kept going whilst the others slowed, it made them all wonder how many times he had been to this place, strolling through it like he had done it a million times before. A weird place to go, but a very Virgil place to go when you need to be alone.</p><p> </p><p>He was walking steadily until he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Virgil?" Patton hurried to catch up with him, worried something was wrong. </p><p> </p><p>"I... holy shit, well what do you know.." Virgil muttered, he bent down next to a grave. Roman and Logan caught up, glancing at the gravestone. </p><p> </p><p>It read, '<em>Arthur Atherton</em>' Patton scanned over the date, "He died about ten years ago." He said, wondering who the man even was. Virgil made a sort of scoff sound, "Can’t believe it, the bastard's dead."</p><p> </p><p>Patton made a sound of surprise at the language. Roman wanted to say something, but he and Virgil still were awkward around eachother, and even in that moment he could feel it,, so he nudged Logan beside him.</p><p> </p><p>Logan bent down next to Virgil, "Who was he?" Virgil didn't answer, attention now focused on the other graves around them. His eyes stopped on another one nearby, reading '<em>Elizabeth Atherton</em>' It was much more recent, only two years ago. </p><p> </p><p>"His wife..?" Patton questioned. "My mother." Virgil mumbled. He stood up and went over to the stone, standing infront of it. "Not that she was much better." </p><p> </p><p>It was quiet while the other three processed his words, Roman was the first to speak up again, "So you and Janus' parents are gone..?" Roman asked. "Mine are. Well, Janus' dad too." Roman raised an eyebrow and Virgil continued, "Janus had a different mother."</p><p> </p><p>Roman made an 'Oh' sound and nodded. "You.. don't seem upset they’re no longer with us." Patton said, he gently placed a hand on Virgil's shoulder. Virgil scoffed, "They aren't worth getting upset over."</p><p> </p><p>Even more worried glances were exchanged, but this time Virgil noticed. "Guys... honestly it's fine. I've mostly got past this stuff. Well, okay, i can be an absolute anxious mess and i’ve.. Obviously got a few issues. But really... i'm... pretty much fine."</p><p> </p><p>"That's so reassuring." Roman mumbled sarcastically. Virgil raised an eyebrow, "Oh, and you care now?"</p><p> </p><p>Roman blinked, "When did i say i didn't care about you?" Virgil's eyes widened and he looked away, "Whatever..." he heard him mumble.</p><p> </p><p>"Hey... hold on, what about Janus?" Patton said, looking around. Virgil turned back to him, "What? oh, he's… well honestly, he just repressed everything, it's why he acts all weird-"</p><p> </p><p>"No, well, actually that's very important and we should keep that in mind so we can help him process his emotions, but i meant where is he?" Patton said. Virgil blinked, "Didn't... we leave him with Remy, Emile and Thomas?"</p><p> </p><p>Patton thought for a moment before shaking his head. Virgil eyes widened once more, although for a different reason this time, "What?!" </p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Janus turned fully to face Remus, although he was looking down. There was a moment of silence before he took his ungloved hand to pull up his other sleeve, revealing an arm of scale patches.</p><p> </p><p>Remus was excited for a second, he adored the other's scales, until he realised something was seriously wrong. Red, blotchy patches were littered across the arm, right where some of the scales should have been. </p><p> </p><p>"I..." Janus' voice came out as a little shaky, "I don't use this hand for magicks very often... when the scales were damaged, it seemed to damage my magicks too. It usually comes out all wrong and weird, so... that's why i keep this hand covered.."</p><p> </p><p>Remus stared, had someone <em>psychically <strong>ripped</strong></em> out the scales? Looking at them, clearly deeply attached to Janus' body, he couldn't imagine what that would have felt like. Anger curled in his stomach, but it flickered away when he noticed Janus had moved once more,</p><p>both his gloves had been dropped to the ground and he was once again standing right next to the abandoned building. </p><p> </p><p>"This entire place hated us. They only had to take one look to know. And i didn't know how to control it, i was just a kid, i was too scared to try and fight people off. When.... things got out of hand, i just took Virgil and left." </p><p> </p><p>He ever so gently placed a few fingers on the stone, "And i told myself we would never come back."</p><p> </p><p>The second his other hand touched the building it burst into golden flames, the light almost enough to blind them. They burned brightly, going on until the entire house was nothing but rubble and ash on the ground. The smoke filled the air, specks of burning gold still floating around.</p><p> </p><p>Remus coughed and grabbed Janus' arm, pulling him back, "Holy fuck, you.... Janus?" </p><p> </p><p>Janus' eyes were full of unfallen tears and he stared back at Remus. Remus silently watched him for a moment, he wanted to just hold him in his arms so badly, he looked like he needed it, so, so much. He moved his hand from the other's arm to his hand, gripping them together.</p><p> </p><p>"Let's get out of here." </p><p> </p><p>--</p><p> </p><p>Virgil hurried through the trees back to the others, they seemed to be in a casual conversation about something, but they all looked up in alarm upon seeing Virgil's panic.</p><p> </p><p>"Did you guys see where Janus went?" He asked. The three shook their heads, "No, he's... not here. Remus isn't either..." Emile said slowly, looking around. </p><p> </p><p>Virgil stopped, taking a few heavy breaths in and out.<em> Okay, Well... atleast Janus isn't alone. It's Remus, but still... He's fine, Virgil, calm down.</em></p><p> </p><p>He slowed his breaths, trying to calm himself down. Patton, Logan and Roman caught up, "Hey, Virgil, geez you run fast!” He saw Virgil’s face and his tone softened, “Come on, he'll be fine, right?" Roman said.</p><p> </p><p>Virgil forced himself to believe it, "Yeah... yeah, i'm sure-" </p><p> </p><p>The huge explosion of fire in the background cut him off. His gaze snapped over to where it came from, looking at the smoke float up into the air.</p><p> </p><p>"... I'm sure he's totally fine."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>SO YOU THOUGHT YOU WERE ACTUALLY GONNA GET THE FULL BACKSTORY? H A, N O. you just get ✨Implications✨</p><p>Oh, don't worry though. I am going to send you some crushing details later on. Anyone who's read my other fic, you thought that was bad? yeah.... i was just practicing. </p><p>Toodles &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0037"><h2>37. The Damage The Storm Left Behind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The group need to get out of Dusk town.</p><p> </p><p>*kicks Janus away* get out of here for a second you attention hog, it's time for ✨ VIRGIL'S ANGST WOO ✨</p><p>And gay.</p>
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    <p>Virgil was about to start full on panicking, trying to figure out what the hell to do and hoping that Janus was fine, safe. He would have taken off running again to find him himself, but running through Dusk Town by yourself is not a good idea.</p><p> </p><p>His breathing started to pick up, he could hear the people around him telling him to calm down, he couldn't just <em> calm down </em>actually, because there was just a huge fucking explosion and his brother could of been seriously injured!</p><p> </p><p>But then, another voice cut through the others. He instantly recognized it as Remus' voice, that annoying voice was unforgettable really, making him spin around. He spotted him, pushing through the trees, and to Virgil’s relief, Janus behind him.</p><p> </p><p>"Jan!" He rushed forward, ignoring Remus and checking his brother was okay. He noticed their hands were firmly gripped together, but he brushed it off momentarily, checking Janus over. Psychically, he looked fine, well, almost, he could see a cut on Janus' hand, but apart from that he seemed okay. However, the main problem was his face, he'd only seen that look once before and he did not like it.</p><p> </p><p>He turned to Remus, "What happened?" Remus didn't reply for a moment, before pulling something out and handing it over, it was Janus' gloves, "Here." </p><p> </p><p>Virgil blinked, "He... did he cause that explosion?" He asked, eyes widening. Remus nodded, and Virgil cursed under his breath, "Alright, let go of his hand so he can put the gloves back on." </p><p> </p><p>Remus hesitated, but dropped his hold on Janus' hand, and Virgil gave his brother the gloves back. Janus didn't seem entirely responsive, so Virgil helped him out. He was trying his best not to break down himself, he was stressed and the anxious feeling still hadn't gone, he wanted to get out of there. It wasn't bringing back good memories, and seeing his brother like that wasn't helping.</p><p> </p><p>He took Janus' hand like Remus had, only instead he held their hands up, fingers intertwined. "Jan... jan, you okay?" He got a small nod after a moment, it wasn't great, but it'd do. He let out a breath he didn't even know he had been holding, it came out a little shaky and he knew he wasn't far from cracking. </p><p> </p><p>He swallowed, "Can... can we get out of here? i don't mean all of us, i just mean..." He took a few breaths in and out, trying again to say what he meant, "Janus... should probably leave. I- i can stay and help you guys out, but having all of us here isn't helping anything." </p><p> </p><p>Remy eyed him suspiciously, "You sure you don't need to get out of here too babes?" Virgil shook his head, "I'm fine."</p><p> </p><p>None of them look convinced, but Virgil hoped they would just drop it. “Perhaps,” Logan stepped forward, “Virgil makes a good point. However, i believe it would be more beneficial for you both to leave. Being in a place that brings forward unpleasant memories makes you both unsettled, therefore on top of being troublesome for you, and that helps no one.”<br/>
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Virgil opened his mouth to speak, but Patton beat him to it, “Logan’s right, kiddo. Why don’t you, Janus, me, Emile and Roman leave, and leave the other four to it?”<br/>
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“B-but… you don’t know your way around here.” Virgil said. “Point us in the direction of this safe store you mentioned, i’m sure we can find our way.” Logan said. Remy nodded beside him, “Yeppers. And if me and Thomas stay, that’s two witches. Plus, Remus if he also stays.”<br/>
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“No way, i’m going with Janus.” Remus said firmly. “He’ll be fine with the others, Remus.” Remy said, Remus wasn’t usually a stubborn person, but when he wanted to be, he could be a real handful.<br/>
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“I suppose you could go also, it may be harder without your magicks, however i trust Remy and Thomas will be enough if we do run into any trouble.” Logan said, Remy looked over at him with surprise. “I… i guess you’re right. Alright, go back with them then. We’ll get what we need and get back as soon as we can.”<br/>
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Logan nodded and turned to Patton next to him, “You have Remus and Virgil if you run into any trouble, but i suggest trying to get back as fast as you can. From here, you need to head to the entrance of Dusk Town and head straight forward.”<br/>
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Patton nodded, taking it in, “Alright, see you guys later i guess.” He paused for a moment, Logan was about to ask if there was a problem, then he felt arms wrapping around him tightly. “Stay safe, okay?” Patton said quietly.<br/>
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Logan gave him a quick hug back, “We will try our best.” Patton pulled away, he wished Logan could just say they would be fine, but Logan wasn’t one to sugar coat things. He sighed, flashing the other a small smile before going off with the others.<br/>
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--<br/>
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Virgil partly wanted to run off, let the panic and stress pass over him by himself, but he also didn’t want to leave Janus’ side. He knew he wasn’t the only one there for him anymore, but he still felt it was his responsibility.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The others were pretty content to leave him too it, well, apart from Remus. He wondered what Janus had told him, but obviously it was something about their past. And he couldn’t deny that that had to have meant Janus trusted him.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He supposed he should probably trust Remus too, atleast a little, but it was difficult. He didn’t exactly ooze trustworthiness. He was strange and unpredictable, Virgil had no idea why he was the one his brother had ended up trusting.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
At that point, it was just him, Janus and Remus in the room, the others had wandered off. “Geez Virgin you look like you're about to shit yourself.” Remus said. Virgil turned his head so fast it looked like it was about to snap off, “I’m fine.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Just go chill out for a while, will you? He’s fine, look he’s probably just going to go to sleep and wake up normal.” Virgil sent him a glare, “You don’t know that, you don’t know him as well as you think you do.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe i don’t know him as well as you, but i know a lot and i’m still trying to find out more. You act as if i’m still a stranger.” Remus huffed. Virgil rolled his eyes, “Why? You know, he doesn’t need you.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The words came out harsher than he meant them too, his head was starting to pound and he was finding it harder to try and stay calm. “He has me, he’s always had me and i have him, we look after eachother and we’ve never needed anyone else. Not you, not stupid princey, no one!”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He didn’t mean to raise his voice really, him and Janus had made a rule to eachother years ago to not yell, but he couldn’t help it. The sudden loud sound made Janus jerk, still clearly out of it.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Virgil only then noticed his breathing had gotten heavier, it was starting to fall uneven, he had equally strong urges to scream and to cry. Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Patton was standing behind him, he hadn’t even heard the other come in.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Kiddo, let’s get some air, okay?” He allowed Patton to gently lead him out of the room. The cold air hit Virgil, washing over him. It was getting to autumn, the weather turning cold. He tried to get his breathing back to normal, but he couldn’t do it.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He wished Patton wasn’t there, but out of anyone, he was the person he least minded being there to see him finally break. He finally let the damn break, crumpling to the ground. He heard a worried sound from Patton, “Oh Virge…”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
It was still embarrassing, but he had seen what holding things in does to people. Atleast he still had control over it, and as much as he would rather brush it off, he had to accept the fact he wasn’t okay.<br/>
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<br/>
<br/>
He was glad that he wasn’t a loud, ugly crier. He was atleast quiet as he curled up, tugging his knees to his chest. He heard movement then he felt Patton squish against him and a soft, “It’s okay, just let it all out.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
So he did, he felt a few phantoms stinging pains as the flashbacks passed through him, but soon enough he was wrapped up in Patton’s hug, the other having a calming and gentle presence that soothed it away.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
There wasn’t a lot of crying, but still Virgil was glad when it stopped. He had the unpleasant feeling of stickiness on his cheeks, but he ignored it. “Thank you, Pops.” He said, pulling away, although he didn’t leave Patton’s side.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
A smile grew on Patton’s face, “Pops? Oh, i love that, Roman calls me Padre! I love being a father figure.” Virgil offered a tiny smile back, “Well, you do have a fatherly air about you. Except, you’re, ya know, a good father. We are just a giant group full of people with daddy issues after all.”<br/>
He let out a sigh, “Thanks again, really. I know it’s… weird to have to comfort someone, but it really did help.” Patton shook his head, “No need to thank me really! Comforting people is my thing, after all. I’ve found i have a knack for it, and anytime i can make anyone feel even slightly better is a win.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<em> Holy Joan, this guy really is a freaking angel, </em> Virgil thought.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
--<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Roman couldn’t be more relieved when Logan, Remy and Thomas finally returned back to the ship. “You guys took hours! I thought you got into trouble!” He huffed.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Apologies. We had to wait, some sort of trouble started up, lots of people wielding weapons and we couldn’t get around it, so we had to hide out and avoid it.” Logan explained. Roman sighed, “Alright, so none of you are injured?”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The three all shook their heads, “I did have to hit someone with my staff, but apart from that, it was fine.” Remy said, a slight smirk on his face, Roman could tell he was proud of it. Typical Remy.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Are the others okay?” Thomas asked. Roman gave an unsure shrug, “I think so. I don’t know, i kind of just left them to it. Emile did too, he’s… somewhere.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Ever so helpful.” Remy said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Shut up, mom.” Roman huffed.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Where is Patton?” Logan asked. “I think he’s with Virgil, why?” Roman asked, raising an eyebrow. “He seemed concerned about our safety, i just wish to assure him we are fine.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
A smirk appeared on Roman’s face, “Oh? That’s all? Aren’t going to give him another cuddle?” Logan shot him a glare, “It was a friendly hug, Roman.”<br/>
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<br/>
<br/>
“Sure, <em>very</em> friendly. Absolutely nothing else there, is there?” Roman teased. “No. There is not.” Logan said firmly.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Oh come on Lo, loosen up. No one would blame you if you liked Pat a little, he is pretty cute after all.” Remy said. “Don’t you start, mr. i have a huge crush on Emile!” Roman remarked.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“What? It is <em> not </em> a giant crush!” Remy rushed to defend himself.<br/>
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<br/>
<br/>
“I said huge.”<br/>
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<br/>
“SHUT UP!”<br/>
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“I could say the same about you, don’t you like Virgil?” Remy said, turning the attention on Roman. Roman gasped loudly, “How dare you! No, i don’t, and i never will!”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“As if! I’ve seen you, you’ve been trying to get him to talk to you again since the pining down thing, despite the fact you insist it was just a stupid thing, and that you were mad at him about it!” Remy rolled his eyes. Roman gasped again, “That is not true!”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“It literally is!”<br/>
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“Okay, okay, maybe you guys should calm down?-” Thomas said, putting his hands up. The three turned to look at him. He blinked, “Uh… you know, i mean… maybe you guys should just… talk to the people you like?”<br/>
<br/>
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“I don’t like anyone.” Logan said stiffly. “I don’t either.” Roman crossed his arms across his chest. “You’re both cowards.” Remy scoffed.<br/>
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<br/>
“So are you!” Roman shot back. “I am not!”<br/>
<br/>
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“Well, i tried.” Thomas sighed.<br/>
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“Logan!” Patton rushed forward as soon as Logan came into view, “You guys okay?”<br/>
<br/>
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“It’s ‘are you guys okay?’ Patton, grammar. But yes, we are unharmed. How is Virgil?” Logan asked.<br/>
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“He’s okay. He had a bit of moment, but he’s fine now, don’t worry.” Patton said, giving Logan a smile.<br/>
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“I was not worrying, but thank you anyways.” Logan said. Patton raised an eyebrow, “I think you were worried.”<br/>
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Logan spluttered, “I was not.” Patton grew a smirk, “Alright, if you say so.”<br/>
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“I WAS NOT!”<br/>
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“Sure you weren’t!” Patton’s voice started to fade as he walked past Logan, “Bye Logie!” Logan huffed, he was <em> not </em> worried and he <em> definitely </em> did not have a crush on Patton.<br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Roman: YOU GAY<br/>Remy: NO YOU GAY<br/>Logan: YOU BOTH GAY<br/>Roman and Remy: NO YOU GAY!!1!!<br/>Thomas: pls i don't want to be here-</p><p>Also, thanks to my beta readers, i was too impatient for them to even read the last chapter, because i have a problem. Tbh they've done more of listening to me rant about the rest of the story and my ideas, so yeAH- don't spoil anything you poopers</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Questions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Logan has a lot of questions, and he always wants answers, even if he pushes things too far sometimes.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ughhhh, Logan, leave me <em> alone. </em> ” Janus groaned, he’d been trying to get Logan off his tail for hours but the other was following him around like a dog on a leash with his notebook opened. <br/><br/>“I only have a few questions! It’ll be over quicker if you just answer them for me.” Logan said matter-of-factly. Janus stopped, spinning around to glare at him. <br/><br/>“That’s a yes then?” Logan asked. Janus groaned once more, “Fine.” Logan pulled out his pen, “Fantastic, first question.” <br/><br/>Janus already wanted to throw himself off of the ship. Logan had tried to question him when they first met also, but he had luckily just gone to Remus for answers. Now though, he had no such luck. <br/><br/>Logan wanted to know about his corrupted magicks, not that he knew much about it himself. All he knew was that it was fucked up. <br/><br/>“How much control do you have over it?” Logan asked. Janus shrugged, “I don’t know. It’s different everytime. When i turned James to ice i had control, but obviously i didn’t when i blew up an entire house three days ago.” <br/><br/>“Interesting. So, you had no intentions of destroying the building?” Logan asked. “I don’t know, not really.” Janus mumbled. <br/><br/>Logan raised an eyebrow, “That isn’t a very clear answer.” Janus hissed at him, but Logan was unfazed. “Virgil has told me the house you destroyed was your childhood home.” He said calmly. <br/><br/>Janus’ eyes widened slightly, “Why would he even tell you that?” <br/><br/>“He was rambling, i don’t believe it was intentional, however he is also my friend, and i think you will find he has a certain amount of trust in me.” Logan said. Janus huffed, “He gets on my case about trusting Remus when he’s best friends with the world's most annoying nerd and the prince of the idiots.” <br/><br/>“I never said we were best friends, i believe our friendship simply falls into the regular friend category, however i have not yet fully figured out the levels of frien-” Janus cut him off, “Shut it and ask me your next question so i can leave!” <br/><br/>Logan blinked, looking at him with such a flat expression it was a little unsettling, before continuing talking, “My next question is, how does it differ from regular elemental magicks?” <br/><br/>“Uh, i don’t know. The flames were like golden yellow, the fire is normally just… normal fire colour.” Janus muttered, shrugging unsurely. <br/><br/>Logan nodded, taking notes. “I see. I only have one more question.” Janus raised an eyebrow, “Which is?” <br/><br/>“How did it happen?” Logan asked. It was a simple question, but it struck something inside of Janus. He should of seen it coming, really. <br/><br/>“My scales… got damaged.” He forced out the most vague answer he could, he could hear the annoyance in his voice had completely dropped. Logan looked up at him with surprise, “Really? How?” <br/><br/>He didn’t want to answer that question at all. There was so much yelling and crying and <em> screaming- </em> Correction, he <em> couldn’t </em> answer that question at all. <br/><br/>He just shook his head, not trusting his own voice. Logan raised an eyebrow, “That… is not a sufficient answer to my question.” <br/><br/>“ <em> No. </em> ” <br/><br/>Logan looked him up and down, while he wasn’t intelligently inclined on emotions, he had learned to know what distress looked like, he’d seen it many times before. <br/><br/>“Alright. That is all then.” He shut his notebook. Janus looked surprised, “You… you’re just going to leave?” <br/><br/>Logan turned for the exit, “I may not be an emotional person, or someone who senses things like such easily, but i know when someone is in distress and i am not one to push those who clearly shouldn’t be pushed.” He said simply, not even turning his head to look back before leaving the room.  <br/><br/>-- <br/><br/>Roman was too distracted in his thoughts to notice Virgil was infront of him before he bumped into the other. There was a soft oof sound as he stepped back, “Oh, sorry.” <br/><br/>“It’s okay, i’ll live.” Virgil said sarcastically with a smirk. Roman rolled his eyes. Then an awkward silence fell between them. They hadn’t properly talked to eachother in weeks. <br/><br/>“Uhm… so…” Roman started, regretting it as he couldn’t find anything else to say. Virgil was just staring at him, he could practically see the social anxious panic going through the others brain. <br/><br/>“I’m- gonna- yeah-” Virgil muttered, moving to go past him. “Wait!” Roman said, louder than he meant too, making them both flinch. <br/><br/>“Uhm… i never… got to apologize.” Roman said. Virgil turned back to him, eyebrow raised with surprise, “Apologize?” <br/><br/>“Yeah… for before..” Roman shrugged, not wanting to say any of the specific words. “Weird, didn’t even know you were capable of apologizing.” <br/><br/>Roman shot him a look, “Maybe i would apologize more often if people weren’t so rude.” <br/><br/>“Geez, alright princey.” Virgil said, rolling his eyes. Roman let out a breath, “I’m sorry.” <br/><br/>“Great apology.” Virgil mumbled, “Can i go now?” Roman made a sound of frustration, “You are so rude, you know that?” <br/><br/>“Yeah, so are you. Your also very up and down, one minute your mad at me, the next your acting nice again and then your apologizing. Can you just make up your mind?” Virgil huffed. <br/><br/>“Make up my mind on what exactly? Am i not allowed to change my feelings on things? What to you want me to do, say i hate you forever or suddenly decide i love you?” Roman scoffed. <br/><br/>Virgil seemed taken aback, “Lo- No, you idiot! I want you to stop this! Stop suddenly acting nice, like you care and crap!” He hissed. <br/><br/>“Just because we had an stupid awkward moment doesn’t mean i suddenly hate you! Yeah, i was annoyed, because it was weird and i dont want any of that weird stuff with <em> you </em> !” Roman wasn’t even sure what he was saying anymore, but he was starting to get annoyed. <br/><br/>“Oh, i’m barely even good enough to breathe the same air as prince Roman, huh?! You’re so frustrating and confusing, ugh!” Virgil slammed his foot down, “You know what? I’m leaving, we’re done here. And next time you suddenly feel like being mr. nice guy again, fucking save it.” <br/><br/>Roman resisted the urge to scream as Virgil stormed off. That was exactly why he hadn’t brought it up before, because Virgil was such an indignant little- “UGH!” He groaned, he headed in the opposite direction outside, he needed some air. <br/><br/>-- <br/><br/>“That idiotic, stuck up, dumb as fuck PRINCE!” <br/><br/>“Well, good afternoon to you too baby brother.” Janus said casually, watching as Virgil stormed into the room. <br/><br/>Virgil was breathing heavily, “He’s so ANNOYING! Him and his dumb hair, i gave him that hair! It’s my work, not his!” <br/><br/>“So, you and Roman have a bit of a fight?” Janus asked. Virgil sighed, “ <em> Yes. </em> ” Janus hummed, “Shame.” <br/><br/>Virgil rolled his eyes, “Okay okay i get it, you hate him. Well i do too, so we can hate him together.” <br/><br/>“I did tell you he was an egotistical idiot.” Janus said. “I know, Janus.” Virgil mumbled, his brother loved hearing when he was right, so most of the time, Virgil made sure he was wrong, just to annoy him. <br/><br/>“So, how’s your morning been?” Virgil asked, sitting down across from his brother. “Absolutely <em> fantastic. </em> ” <br/><br/>“That bad, huh? What happened?” Virgil asked. Janus let out a long sigh, “Logan just <em> had </em> to know the answer to some questions that aren’t any of his business.” <br/><br/>“Ah, yeah, that… you okay?” Virgil asked. Janus nodded, “I’m fine. He actually left on his own.” <br/><br/>“Really?” Virgil asked, amazed. Logan was determined to get the most info he possibly could. “Yeah i know, it’s weird. He said something weird too.” <br/><br/>“These people are a bunch of weirdos.” Virgil scoffed. Janus snickered, “Yeah, they are.”  Virgil gave his brother a smile, then got up and went around to his the other. <br/><br/>“What are you- oh.” Janus smiled as he got an armful of his little brother. Well, actually, they were pretty much the same height, much to Janus’ annoyance. <br/><br/>Virgil cracked another small smile, their hugs were usually their go to fix, but they hadn’t hugged in a while. <br/><br/>“Oh… hey, i didn’t tell you before since you were still getting back to grips, but… he’s dead.” Virgil said after a moment. There was no reply, just empty silence until he heard a quiet, “Good.” <br/><br/>-- <br/><br/>It was getting late, but Virgil never got any decent sleep anyways. He was actually trying to find Logan, none of them had seem him and although Patton offered to go, Virgil told him it was fine and went himself. <br/><br/>It was an excuse to go outside atleast, the clear night sky full of stars was never a dull sight. He didn’t linger for too long, setting off to actually find where the nerd had gone. <br/><br/>“Logan?” He called out, the room was dark, but he could see a flicker of light behind some of the boxes. They had never gotten round to opening all of them. <br/><br/>“Over here.” He heard Logan’s voice say back. He followed the light, and found Logan sat on the ground, lantern in one hand, the other flipping through the pages of the huge magicks history book. <br/><br/>“Logan, what are you doing?” Virgil asked. “I’ve been looking, i’ve scanned through this entire book-” <br/><br/>“You <em> have?! </em> ” <br/><br/>“-And i’ve found nothing, no case of anything like what Janus has is in here. It is completely undocumented.” He looked up at Virgil, pure curiosity sparkling in his eyes. <br/><br/>“Really? Nothing?” Virgil bent down. Logan shook his head, “Nothing. This may be the first time this has happened, <em> ever </em> . This is history, Virgil!” <br/><br/>“Well i’d be kind of concerned if what happened to him was a regular occurrence.” Virgil mumbled. He stilled for a moment, until he felt eyes on him. He looked up, meeting Logan’s gaze. <br/><br/>“It’s late. We need to go to bed.” Virgil said, standing back up suddenly. Logan nodded, “You’re right. Let’s go then.” He shut the book, pulling himself up. <br/><br/>“Oh, and Logan?” <br/><br/>“Hm?” Logan looked at the other. <br/><br/>“I get that your curious, but leave your nose out of our business, got it?” Virgil said firmly. Logan blinked, then nodded. <br/><br/>“Great. Night.” Virgil said, smiling slightly unsettlingly before walking away.  </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*throws the logan ships at you* take them children, Logan can be shipped with anyone and its still adorable. </p><p>idk man<br/>Prinxiety is dead<br/>rip that<br/>Virgil is angee and Roman is angee and I'm...... evil-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Bonus Chapter 2: Side stories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This time it's side stories, i.e, instead of stories from the past, its random side stories from somewhere in the present.</p><p>Also, i would just like to say something. <br/>So, if you've read the new warning, then you already know, i changed it. It's for later, cuz theres gonna be some graphic stuff with Janus and Virgil's backstory. If that puts off reading further, than it's okay! &lt;3 It's just a safety precaution tbh, i don't know what the standard for graphic is really, so idk. Anyways, yeah, enjoy the stupid side stories!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Patton’s nightmare<br/></span>
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  <span>Patton was about eight the first time it happened, he never wanted to disagree with his parents, after all, the adults knew best, didn’t they? But he was upset, he didn’t know what would happen if he argued with his parents, but he didn’t expect what happened.</span>
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  <span>He was outside, and he was supposed to stay with the nanny, but he ran off into the kingdom, he had never been outside of the castle and he was curious. He didn’t go too far, but he ran into a group of children playing. </span>
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  <span>He went up to them, asking to play. They let him join and they were all playing together, but it wasn’t long before the nanny found him again and took him back to the castle.</span>
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  <span>He complained to his parents, he had wanted to stay and play with the other kids! But his parents told him that he wasn’t allowed too, because he was a prince and they were commoners. </span>
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  <span>He argued back, he didn’t care who they were, he was bored by himself and he wanted some friends. The argument went back and forth for a while, Patton retorting as a child having a tantrum would, which was understandable. </span>
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  <span>However, what was a shock was when back and forth arguing suddenly turned into yelling. His parents hadn’t yelled at him like that before. He didn’t like it, it was scary. </span>
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  <span>Especially his father's yelling, his voice was deep and harsh as he roared at him. The yelling slowed, he hoped it was over, he could feel the tears running down his face and he just wanted to leave. </span>
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  <span>“Really, you’re crying? I’ll give you something to cry about.” He felt a swift hand across his face, a stinging pain left behind. The tears temporarily stopped from shock, but as he felt them coming back, doubled this time, he ran out before they could fall.</span>
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  <span>Then Patton woke up with a start. </span>
  <em>
    <span>A dream….. Nightmare? Flashback.</span>
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  <span>He took a few deep breaths in and out, it wasn’t any sort of regular occurrence or anything, but it had happened a few times. He had learned not to argue with his parents. </span>
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  <span>Still, it wasn’t a fun memory. He was just a kid at the time, making it much scarier. He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts, as if that would even work. He needed to get back to sleep, he could see from the darkness that it was still the middle of the night.</span>
  <span>
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  <span>He hadn’t thought he had made any sound when he startled awake, however he heard something next to him, “Patton?” </span>
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  <span>It was Logan’s voice, Patton’s breath hitched, annoyed at himself for waking someone up. “Sorry, Logan.” He said quietly.</span>
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  <span>“Why are you awake?” Logan asked, Patton heard shuffling and suddenly he could make out the outline of Logan opposite him. He wished there was more light, but maybe Logan not being able to see his face right then was a good thing.</span>
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  <span>“I… just had a bit of a bad dream is all, it’s fine.” Patton said, set on brushing off any possible worry, although Logan wasn’t one for worrying. He had stated that </span>
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    <span>very</span>
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  <span> clearly. </span>
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  <span>“A bad dream? ...Do you wish to talk about it?” Patton blinked at the offer, surprised. Logan wasn’t really one for talking about feelings either. </span>
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  <span>He supposed the other had gotten better, especially around both Patton and Romans presence so often, the two being very emotional people. </span>
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  <span>“Patton?” He hadn’t even realised he had got silent till Logan’s voice registered in his ears once more. “Oh… uhm…” </span>
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  <span>Did he want to talk about it? Part of him said no, yet another said maybe it’ll help. Logan wouldn’t judge, would he? Another voice in the back of his mind said yes, but Patton chose to ignore it.</span>
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  <span>He’d never spoken to anyone about it, but that was because there was nothing to tell, right? It was surely just normal stuff, it hadn’t been any sort of abuse, he knew that. It was just… </span>
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  <span>“Can.. can i have a hug?” Patton found himself asking, he was surprised by his own request but honestly, a hug did sound nice. </span>
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  <span>“Oh… i suppose so.” It wasn’t the warmest invitation, but Patton took it anyways. Logan wasn’t trying to be mean or rude or anything, Patton knew that. A thought about just how much he knew about Logan passed through his mind, but he forced his attention back to the hug.</span>
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  <span>He got up, not having to go far to the other’s bed and tried to make the position not awkward. It took a moment, but they got there. He let out a soft laugh, “Thanks lo.”</span>
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  <span>Logan hummed, “About that bad dream?” Patton let out a sigh, “It’s nothing, really.” He could practically feel Logan’s eyebrow raise, even if he couldn’t see it. </span>
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  <span>“I just… dad stuff, you know?” </span>
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  <span>“Actually, i wouldn’t know, my father was barely present in my life. I doubt he even knows my age.” Patton looked up at him, he still couldn’t see, but he knew Logan must have felt it. </span>
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  <span>“Really? I’m sorry to hear that Logan.” He said. “Your relationship with your father doesn’t seem to have fared any better.” Logan said, making Patton shrink back a little. </span>
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  <span>“Really it’s nothing. Just… well it wasn’t really a nightmare, more of a flashback..?” Logan nodded, “Go on.”</span>
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  <span>Patton took a breath in, “A-and… you know.. I was being a dumb kid and argueing back and he got mad.” </span>
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  <span>Things went quiet, Patton hoped that was enough. “I see.” Logan said, breaking the silence. “I… i should go back to bed.” Patton said, pulling away from the hold. He immediately felt colder, but he went back to his own bed anyways.</span>
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  <span>“Good night, Logan.” He said, turning his back to the other before he could speak again. He didn’t know why he had felt the sudden urge to leave so quickly, but Logan didn’t say anything, he heard a bit of rustling before things fell silent. </span>
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  <span>Patton internally sighed, he already knew he wasn’t going to get much more sleep that night. </span>
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  <span>Flower Crowns<br/></span>
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  <span>When Janus went looking for Virgil, he hadn’t expected to see him in the back of the storage room. Purple essence was floating around, clearly Virgil was using magicks. </span>
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  <span>He went over closer to investigate, Virgil never used his magicks for random things. “Virgil?” He said out loud, causing Virgil to jump a little. </span>
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  <span>“Jan?” Virgil blinked, looking up at him, then sighed, “Atleast it’s just you.” Janus raised an eyebrow, “What are you doing?”</span>
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  <span>Virgil turned his gaze away, looking embarrassed, “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Janus rolled his eyes, “Yeah, Virgil, that's not going to work on me, all your other don’t worry about its didn’t get you far, did they?” </span>
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  <span>Virgil huffed, it was true, he could never get anything past his older brother. He sighed once more and stood up, holding something in his hands.</span>
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  <span>Janus stared for a moment, in Virgil’s hand was a perfectly healthy looking flower crown of purple flowers. After a moment of silence Virgil bent down and picked something else up, then came back up with another crown of daisies.</span>
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  <span>“I… you kept those?” Janus said. Virgil nodded, “Yeah… i just… it was the nicest thing either of us had ever received…” </span>
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  <span>“How did you keep them alive?” Janus asked, it had been months, they should of been long dead by then. He hadn’t really forgotten about then either, but he didn’t want to say anything about it, knowing it would sound stupid. Atleast he knew exactly what Virgil was feeling like right now.</span>
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  <span>“Healing spell. It works on people and on plants, apparently…” Virgil mumbled, “It’s stupid, i know.”</span>
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  <span>Janus shook his head, “No, i’m glad you’ve been keeping them alive.” He smiled and took the purple one from Virgil’s head, then placed it on top of his head. </span>
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  <span>Virgil grinned and popped the daisy one on Janus’ head. Janus rolled his eyes, “Did you keep Remus’?” </span>
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  <span>Virgil nodded, “Yeah. He seemed pretty emotional about it too, so i kept his just incase.” Janus let out a sigh, “It is kind of nice.”</span>
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  <span>“You look very pretty Jan.” Virgil said, smirking. “You too.” Janus said back. Virgil rolled his eyes, “I look about as pretty as a rat in a dress.” </span>
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  <span>“Well, can’t argue with that.” Janus said, shrugging. </span>
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  <span>“Hey!” </span>
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  <span>“You said it, not me!” </span>
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  <span>The Bowler Hat<br/></span>
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  <span>“Oh Jan-Jan~” Remus sing-songed, barging into the room. He heard and sigh and then Janus came into view, “What, Remus?”</span>
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  <span>“Ooh, you're snappy today my love. I brought you a gift!” Remus said. Janus raised an eyebrow, “A.. gift?”</span>
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  <span>Remus nodded, “Yep!” Janus blinked, “What… what’s a gift?” Remus stopped, staring at him. </span>
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  <span>“You… don’t know what a gift is?” He asked in disbelief, everyone knew what a gift was! “I’ve heard the word a few times but i don’t know what it means.” Janus shrugged.</span>
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  <span>The memories of their trip to Dusk Town flashed before Remus’ eyes, it hit him that it was likely no one had really given Janus a gift before. </span>
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  <span>“Well then, it makes it a little less special that i stole this, but it’ll work.” Remus said. Janus gave him an amused look, “What’d you steal?”</span>
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  <span>Remus went closer to him and pulled out a hat. Janus looked at it, “Uh, a hat?” Remus grinned, “Hold on.” He pulled the ribbon out of Janus’ hair so it fell down, then placed the hat on his head.</span>
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  <span>Just as he suspected, it suited the other greatly. Janus stared at him, “You stole a hat. ...for me?” </span>
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  <span>Remus nodded, “That's what a gift is! Giving someone else something, usually people do it on like birthdays n’ stuff.” </span>
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  <span>“People give eachother stuff on their birthdays? Why?” Janus asked. Remus shrugged, “I don’t know, that’s just what people do.” </span>
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  <span>“But… you just give someone something for no reason? Like, no exchange just… give?” Remus nodded once more, “Yeppers!”</span>
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  <span>“That’s… weird.” Janus muttered. “I mean, those flower crowns that little girl gave us were a gift.” Remus said. </span>
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  <span>“I assumed it was a peace offering.” </span>
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  <span>“And that,” Remus said, wrapping his arms around the other for a hug before Janus could protest, “Is why i love you.” </span>
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  <span>Janus rolled his eyes, “You don’t, but thanks for the hat.” Before Remus could say anything, Janus had escaped his grasp and left. But hey, atleast he was smiling. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>JANUS FINALLY HAS HIS HAT! i realised he didn't have it, yet i've been imagining him with it this whole time so.... that didn't add up lmao. Hope you enjoyed the lil bits of angst. Hehehhehe....</p><p>So, i put this here cuz next chapter is a big one and i wanted it be chapter 40 cuz.... ya know... it's like.. a better number for abig chapter. Yeah! sooo, yay!</p><p>Okay, toodles &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Emile's Birthday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's Emile's birthday! </p><p>That's it, it's pretty simple, it's a nice fluffy chapter for you all &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <span>“Wake up! Emy, emy wake up!” Emile woke up to the sound of Patton’s voice in his ear. Wasn’t his worst wake up ever, he supposed. He groaned and forced his eyes open, “What, patt?”</span>
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  <span>“It’s your birthday!” Patton practically squealed. Emile blinked, his tired brain trying to remember the date. It was harder to remember the days when you're out at sea all the time.</span>
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  <span>“Oh… yeah i guess it is.” Emile said, he pushed himself up, “Since it’s my birthday, am i allowed to go back to sleep?” He asked hopefully.</span>
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  <span>Patton giggled and shook his head, “Nope!” Emile sighed, “It was worth a shot.” </span>
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  <span>“Happy twenty-third!” Patton said, pulling him into a hug. “Now you’re three years older than me instead of two!”</span>
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  <span>Emile laughed, “Patt, that’s not how it works, i’m still only two years older than you. You turn twenty-one in a few months-” </span>
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  <span>“Sh!” Patton cut him off. “I got this in the last little village we went to.” He said, he turned away from Emile, sitting on the edge of his bed, and bent down. He came back up, holding something in his hand.</span>
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  <span>“It’s just a little something, but…” He leaned forward, Emile felt something around his neck and he felt tugging, he blinked, still too tired and he wasn’t wearing his glasses either, so he couldn’t see properly. </span>
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  <span>“There we go!” Patton said. “Uh… Patt, glasses?” Emile said. “Oh!” Patton grabbed Emile’s glasses from beside the bed and placed them on his face. Emile looked straight down and realised there was a silky pink tie around his neck.</span>
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  <span>“You wore a tie sometimes before, but never a pink one! And i know you really like the colour pink, so i got you one, to add a little something?” Patton said, really, it was difficult to get a gift somewhere you wouldn’t be recognized as the missing prince.</span>
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  <span>“I really like it Patt, thank you.” Emile said, pulling his friend into another hug. Patton squeezed back, “I’m glad!” </span>
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  <span>“Now, get up! Today, we don’t worry about James or the dark creature or anything like that, we only focus on you having lots of happy fun!” Patton said, Emile knew he was determined, and when Patton was set on something, it was happening.</span>
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  <span>You may think no one can force you to have fun, but Patton finds a way. He pulled Emile out of bed, Emile noticed the room was empty apart from them so it seemed Patton had at least let him sleep in a little. </span>
</p><p><span><br/></span><span>Patton grabbed his hand and pulled him along, out of the room and over to the other side of the ship where the others were. As soon as he walked in, he heard one deafening “Happy birthday butthole!” and a few smaller “Happy birthday”’s.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He blinked, then heard Patton huff beside him. “Guyss! I planned this out, i told you, everyone was supposed to say happy birthday together!” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Emile giggled, “You tried, Patt, but it’s a lost cause with this lot.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Hey, i said it!” Remus said. “You called me a butthole.” Emile said, smiling at the other. Once he’d gotten used to Remus, his company had actually become a little enjoyable, it was never dull at least. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Still counts.” Remus said matter-of-factly. “I said it too, and Roman said it.” Remy said from behind them, “But i don’t think anyone was really up for yelling apart from Remus.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remus grinned at that, “I love yelling.” Patton turned to the others around the table, dad-stance, “Why didn’t you guys say happy birthday to Emile?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Because it’s stupid.” Janus said simply, not even bothering to look at Patton. “I didn’t want to.” Virgil mumbled.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Nor did i.” Logan added. “I… forgot to.” Thomas said sheepishly. “It’s fine, Patton you know, it probably would have scared me more than made me smile to have seven people yell at me when i walked in.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton sighed, “Yeah.. you’re right. Okay, okay.” He smiled at Emile, “Whatcha wanna do today?” Emile hummed, thinking. They obviously had a lot of limits. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“We could have another lesson. I know it’s not exactly the most exciting but we haven’t had one in a while and i think your close to breaking through with your connection.” Remy offered. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Sure.” Emile said, it wasn’t like he had much else to do. Remy smiled and grabbed his staff, “Great, let’s go.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Excuse me!” Patton said, “Breakfast first!” Emile sighed and rolled his eyes with a smile, “Alright, fine, </span><em><span>dad.</span></em><span>” Patton only smiled at him proudly, he was determined to take care of all of them like they were his kids but none of the others were complaining, it was nice to have someone around who cared about the small things of their wellbeing.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>--</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Alright. So you keep saying you see pink and blue, right?” Remy asked. Emile nodded, “Yeah, is it normal to see two colours?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remy shrugged, “Some people have multi-toned essence, yeah. Nothing to worry about.” Emile nodded, he had been a little concerned about that. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Alright, same thing as before.” Remy said, he pointed his staff out to the sea of water, lifting up an imperfect overspilling bubble of clear water. Emile took a deep breath before slowly closing his eyes and moving his hand up and forward.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Oh, Emile wait-” Remy’s voice cut into his ears when he felt something brush past his fingertips. He let out a small gasp and his eyes shot open. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He squinted, trying to figure out what was inside the water. Then he saw a small red-ish coloured fish, swimming around and around. He gasped once more, but from excitement this time, “Oh Rem look, it’s a little fishie!”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I see it babes, it’s pretty cute, huh? Was worried for a moment you’d be freaked out.” Remy said with a chuckle. “Freaked out? Oh but he’s so lovely.” Emile said, he slowly pushed his hand back inwards, giggling at the feeling of the fish brushing against his fingertips once more.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Aw, your friendly, aren’t you?” He said, smiling at the blurry fish through the water. He closed his eyes once more and the sudden burst of rosey pink and sky blue hit him, he heard Remy make a surprised sort of sound yet he couldn’t open his eyes. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He felt something, a weird sort of warm sensation go through him. Then he could open up his eyes once more, he turned his head to see Remy staring at him.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You did it!” Remy said excitedly, he was about to go pull the other into a hug but he remembered he had to lower the bubble of water first. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Bye bye fishie!” Emile said as Remy slowly took the water, and he fish, back to it’s home. He then dived in for a hug, the sheer forced pushed Emile back against the sail pole but neither of them really noticed, too busy squeezing eachother happily. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I did it!” Emile said, repeating it over and over, “I made a connection with nature!” Remy grinned, finally pulling back from their hug. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Yeah you….” He trailed off, noticing the position of Emile’s back against the pole and him, one hand still around Emile’s waist, standing over the other. He blinked, trying his hardest to not let any blush show on his cheeks.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Rem?” Emile said, confused by the sudden change. Remy moved back, clearing his throat, “Sorry, it’s nothing.” He plastered another grin on his face, “This is great! Next step is to get you a wand.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“How do i get a wand?” Emile asked curiously. “We can’t do it right now. We need a stick.” He laughed at Emile’s confused expression.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“A stick?” Emile echoed. Remy nodded, “A branch more so, pretty big.” Remy said, gesturing to his own staff.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“It’s made from just a regular branch? That’s so cool!” Emile said. “Yeah i guess it is pretty cool. I’ve had this one for a long time now. It’s not easy to break a staff, you know.” He hummed. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What do you have to do?” Emile asked. “I’m… not sure really. But like… a lot.” Remy said, that’s why it was so rare for a witch to have to replace their staffs, to get them broken or too loose them rarely ever happens.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What about your hat?” Emile asked suddenly, catching Remy off guard. “Huh?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Your hat. You say it’s really important to you, how come?” Emile’s face suddenly morphed into a worried one, “Is that too personal? Sorry for asking.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remy shook his head, “No, it’s fine. It was just an important gift is all.” Emile nodded, “I see.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“So, what do you wanna do for the rest of your b-day?” Remy asked, he was </span><em><span>not </span></em><span>changing the subject, and no, it </span><em><span>wasn’t</span></em><span> because Emile was both adorably curious yet also respectful and insanely kind, shut up.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I don’t know.” Emile said, clearly in thought. Remy internally cursed, why did everything Emile did have to be so cute!? </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Probably just chill out. A stress-free day.” Emile said. “That sure sounds nice.” Remy muttered, the stress hadn’t truly left their side since their first encounter with James and the dark creature.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“How about i get the others and we play a few card games? I think there's a pack around here somewhere.” Remy suggested. Emile nodded, “That sounds like fun!”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Alright, i’ll get the others.” Remy said. He hesitated for a moment, considering hugging Emile, but that would be weird right? That would be totally weird. He shook his head to clear the thoughts then left.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Emile watched as Remy walked away with a sigh. Remy had paused, and for a brief moment Emile had thought it was perhaps for a hug, but of course it wasn’t. That would be weird, a goodbye hug when it’s not really a goodbye, more like a “See you in ten minutes”. He felt like sighing again. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He was so stupid, such a hopeless pining idiot. But he couldn’t </span><em><span>help </span></em><span>it. Ever since they had met him and Remy had just been getting closer and closer. He couldn’t help the fact he had ended up gaining a crush on the other.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He was always so smooth with his comments, always confident, </span><em><span>always</span></em><span> stupidly handsome. It was frustrating in a way, never in a million years would Emile of imagined himself gaining a crush on someone who was both a criminal and the best friend of someone like Remus, but things had changed.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He was technically also a criminal, and he’d grown to see Remy’s side of things when it came to stuff like Remus. Remy was always adventurous and brave, yet he cared for the others too, being like a mother of the group and making sure no one got into too much trouble.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It was sweet, Emile enjoyed watching him try to keep the others from doing stupid things so they didn’t get hurt, it showed a softer side to him, well, in a way, he was usually yelling, but it still stands. Besides, he usually gave hugs afterwards. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Oh, he loved Remy’s hugs too. Remy was taller than him, his hugs felt warm and protective, it was nice. He even loved the way Remy smelt of coffee beans, after he had discovered it it had quickly become almost an addiction for Remy. Despite not being a fan of the drink, Emile liked the scent.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He loved so many things about the other, it wasn’t surprising a crush had arisen. If only Remy liked him back, but there was no way, right? He was plain and boring, if Remy liked him back, it would be enough shock to give him a heart attack. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He could hope and dream, but in the end, he forced himself to keep his expectations low, knowing the truth. Still, it was nice to have the other around.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>--</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Did you have a good day?” Patton asked Emile as they got ready to go to sleep. Emile nodded, “Yeah, it was fun.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton beamed at him, “I’m so glad! I wish i could of done more for you.” He said. “It was good, Patton. You did all you could and i still had a fun birthday.” Emile assured him.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton flashed him a softer smile, “Goodnight, Emy.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Night, Patt.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He tried to sleep, he really did. But he couldn’t. They all had fun with each other earlier that day, playing any card game they actually knew, having to spend a while teaching it to anyone who didn’t know it, but then having fun actually playing it. </span><span><br/></span><span>Remus kept winning somehow so they had to put him out of a few rounds, but having him pout in the background and not-so-subtly trying to help Janus cheat was funny. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Plus, Patton had got him a gift he loved, but he couldn’t help the part of his heart wishing he had received another gift. The best gift he ever could of asked for. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He sighed, it was late by then, well into the night, everyone else was long asleep. Well, at least he thought. He heard some ruffling, confused for a moment, before deciding it must just have been someone turning in their sleep. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Eventually, he managed to fall asleep. He of course didn’t realise he had until he woke up, merely a few hours later. He groaned in frustration, what was even keeping him awake?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>By then, the sun had just begun it’s rise, the dark of the night sky fading away. He knew it was far too early to get up, but he couldn’t help himself pushing out of bed and slowly, trying to be quiet, making him way over to the door and out onto the deck.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The fresh air of the outside hit him, it was refreshing actually, after tossing and turning in his bed for so long. He made his way over to the edge of the boat, leaning on the side as he watched the sun peak over the water. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He loved sunrises, he hadn’t had the chance to watch many in his life, and definitely not any this clear. He could see it in all of its glory.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He was so wrapped up in it he didn’t even notice the presence of someone else on the ship’s deck. It was only when he heard a sleep rough voice that he realised. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Hey, didn’t expect you to be awake right now.” He spun around at Remy’s voice. “Remy?” Remy took a few steps, getting closer to him, “Yeah. It’s like… barely even qualifying as morning right now boo.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Emile let out a soft laugh, “I know, couldn’t sleep..” Remy nodded, now beside him. He copied Emile’s position, gaze falling over the sunrise. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“It’s beautiful, hm?” He said, “Love a good sunrise…” Emile smiled, “Me too…” A comfortable silence fell over them for a while, it was nice. Just the two of them, alone on a never quiet and never settled ship of chaos.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Despite the calm and quiet air, Emile’s heart was still pounding. The moment, while simple, still somehow felt weirdly intimate. And the thought of anything intimate with Remy made his heart almost explode.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He wanted to say something, say </span><em><span>anything</span></em><span>. A confession, an explanation? Anything, anything that would fix the non-existent tension between them. He knew it was non-existent, Remy didn’t care, he doubted the other even noticed. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He just wanted to watch the sunset, not deal with Emile’s feelings. But Emile couldn’t stop himself, he had been crushing for so long at that point, it had taken him so </span><em><span>long</span></em><span> to even realise it and come to terms with it all. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He had to say something, and so he did. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You never got me a gift yesterday.” He said jokingly. Well, those weren’t the words he was expecting to come out, but he could roll with it. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remy clearly wasn’t expecting it either, despite the tone obviously making it a joke. He turned to Emile, then smirked. “Oh, sorry, i forgot to give it to you.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Emile raised an eyebrow, surprised and confused, “Huh?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Thing is, it’s a pretty unique gift. I’m not sure you’ll want it, but i wanted to try anyway.” He said, his smirk faded and was replaced with a different smile, but Emile could see nervousness in his eyes. Why was he nervous?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Why would i say no to a gift?” Emile said, who was he to turn down a present? Well, if it was from Remus, he might be concerned, but Remy? </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remy offered him another sort of smile, then gently cupped his cheek with his hand. Emile swore he actually stopped breathing, what was happening? </span><em><span>Oh god,</span></em><span> what was happening!?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He paused, seemingly giving Emile a moment to think, Emile didn’t even know what was happening, surely not what he thought, it couldn’t be that, it </span><em><span>definitely</span></em><span> wasn’t that. But what else? </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Why would he-? “I can just not-” He clearly had taken too long, putting Remy off. He shook his head frantically, Remy’s hand having fallen away from his face. “No, no i just… were you really going too..?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remy didn’t respond with words, instead he softly gripped Emile’s face one more, other hand around his waist and pulled him into a kiss. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>And holy crap, Emile practically felt himself</span> <span>melt, he barely hesitated before kissing back, arms instinctively going around Remy’s neck. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>After what felt like forever, Emile finally pulled away to breath. “Air.” He breathed out, making Remy chuckle. He let out a content sigh, “I didn’t think you liked me back.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remy blinked, “</span><em><span>You </span></em><span>didn’t think </span><em><span>i </span></em><span>liked </span><em><span>you</span></em><span> back?” Emile nodded, “Yeah…” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I was so nervous! I thought you were going to reject the kiss!” Remy spluttered out. “I don’t do being nervous babe, not my thing!” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Emile giggled, then gasped in realization, “The s has been removed!” Remy blinked, “What?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You usually say babes and then you just said babe! I’ve unlocked the next level of Remy!” Emile gasped once more. Remy burst out laughing, “Oh god, you’re such a dork, it’s amazing.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Emile beamed at him, truly beamed, he couldn’t stop it if he tried at that point, the warm happy feeling was bubbling inside of him, despite it being so early and his lack of sleep he felt like he could run a marathon right then. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Hey, we’re going to miss the rest of the sunrise.” Remy called out to him. Emile blinked, “Oh, right.” He walked back over, resuming his leaning position once more and watching the sun continue to rise.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Except this time, the feeling in his heart was bursting with happiness. </span><span></span><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED IT HAPPENED WE DID IT A KISS IT ONLY TOOK 40 CHAPTERS OF NONSENSE AND WE DID IT! YAYYYYYYY! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- lmao me over here like "omg it was totally rushed still, only 40 chapters?? thats so liTTLE!!" </p><p>Lmao, i hope you guys enjoyed &lt;3 &lt;3 &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0041"><h2>41. I'll Save You, But You Won't Save Me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Patton is done with the other's crap.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>Patton wasn’t having a good day. It was no one’s fault, everyone had bad days sometimes, but no one was being particularly helpful. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton was happy for others when good things happened too them. That’s why Patton was incredibly happy for Emile, of course he was! He squeezed his friend with excitement when Emile told him about the kiss. But he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of something </span><em><span>bad</span></em><span> inside himself. He felt sort of…. Sad about it. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He had no reason to be sad about it, but it also made him feel sort of… lonely. And maybe a little… </span><em><span>angry</span></em><span>? But that wasn’t right, Patton had no reason to feel angry at all. Something amazing had happened for his friend! </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>But why did his happiness for Emile disappear so quickly? Well, Emile was retelling the story for about the tenth time by then, he supposed that would at least be a little annoying to anyone. </span><em><span>No, Patton, don’t think that! </span></em><span>It wasn’t </span><em><span>annoying, </span></em><span>Emile was just excited about it is all. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>That wasn’t the only thing causing him to have a difficult day. He hadn’t told anyone, but the creepy blackening of his arm had grown even more, up to his shoulder by this point. He had made sure his sleeves were down so no one could tell, he didn’t need them knowing he was getting </span><em><span>worse</span></em><span>. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He feared for what happened if he couldn’t find a way to stop it. If it continued taking over, what would happen to him? Would it completely take over his body? He didn’t like to think about the possibilities too much, it scared him, but sometimes he couldn’t help it. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Patton?” Emile’s voice broke through his thoughts. Patton blinked, bringing himself back from the thoughts in the depth of his mind. His gaze had fallen to the floor without him realising. He looked back up at Emile, “Hm?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You okay?” Emile asked with concern. Patton plastered a smile, “Of course i am!” Emile didn’t look convinced, “Really…?” Patton forced the smile wider, “Yep!” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Emile frowned at him, “Maybe you should go take a walk or something, after all, i have been talking your ear off for a while now.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Oh, i don’t need to, you can keep talking-”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Patt.” Patton’s smile turned sheepish and Emile continued, “Go on.” He nodded his head towards the door. Patton sighed, but stood up anyway. A walk couldn’t hurt. Still, Emile clearly wanted to talk more, he felt like he was obligated to stay and listen. Yet Emile wanted him to go, so he did. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The outside air was cool at least, the nice kind of cool, not too cold. It would get actually cold pretty soon, he knew they would need some more winter appropriate clothing soon, he just hoped they’d be able to obtain it without any trouble.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He didn’t even notice anyone else coming as he slowly stepped out onto the deck, head and gaze completely to the side as he looked out at the ocean. The ocean was always nice and calming, and he definitely needed some calm, maybe it would make his day a little better. Only when he felt someone bump into his shoulder did he realise someone else was there.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He turned to see who he had bumped into, surprised to see it was Logan, looking rather… stressed out? Patton hadn’t seen him look so stressed before, usually he remained calm and collected in almost all situations.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He huffed, “Patton, please watch where you are going. I do not have the time to be walking into you while you are too busy looking out at the water instead of looking where you are going.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Oh… uhm sorry.” Was all Patton could come out with, unsure what else to say. Logan let out a sigh and shook his head, “It’s fine. My apologies, i’m just.. particularly stressed out at the moment.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Yeah you look pretty stressed, what’s up?” Patton asked. Logan sighed once more, “I’ve been trying to figure out what James and the dark creature’s next move will be. We haven’t seen them in a while and it’s rather strange, given they seem to have every chance to attack us.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“But… we don’t </span><em><span>want</span></em><span> them to attack, the fact they haven’t showed up again is good!” Patton said, confused by Logan’s words. “I’m not saying i want them to show up, i’m saying it makes me worried that they are planning something </span><em><span>bigger.</span></em><span> It only makes logical sense. After they’re last impromptu attack failed, they must of realised with both Virgil and Janus, they can’t just take what they want.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton eyes widened, “Something bigger? Like… bringing more people? Or, or more weapons??” His voice was edged with panic, ideas of another, much bigger attack appearing to plague his mind.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I’m not sure, that’s why i’ve been trying to figure it out. But i don’t fully know their resources or ideas, all i know is that James is the head guard of Avia, meaning he has a lot of things and people he could use, and that neither of them are against killing someone, even if they don’t deserve it. They are… frightening opponents, to say the least.” Logan said, shoulders slumping slightly. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton let out a long breath, “Okay…. Okay well, maybe it’s best we don’t think about it too much then. Stay positive, keep things light until we need to fight?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Logan frowned, “Patton, how will living in denial help us in the slightest?” Patton shrugged, “It’s not fun for anyone to have to live stressed and in fear all the time, it makes you feel bad and if we all feel bad constantly, how is that going to help?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What will help is us being prepared. Not hearing Remy go on about that ridiculous kiss more times.” Logan said, annoyance in his voice.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“But they’re happy! They found each other, isn’t it sweet?” Patton said, how could Logan not think it was nice that Remy and Emile were happy together?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“It’s absurd.” Logan said bitterly. Patton felt that feeling again, the pang of sadness. But why though? He already knew Logan wasn’t one for those sort of things.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You really think it’s that bad? Come on Lo… i mean, think about it. There’s kind of a lot of that stuff going on here. There’s Janus and Remus, i bet they’ll get together at some point. Maybe Roman and Virgil too, once they… stop.. Hating each other.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Logan huffed once more, “All of it is complete pure and utter stupidity, we are trying to keep ourselves alive not find romantic partners.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Now if you’ll excuse me,” Logan readjusted his glasses, returning his posture to it’s usual straight state, “I have work to do.” Patton watched him silently as he left, things suddenly felt a lot colder. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>--</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“And then, earlier, he had the </span><em><span>audacity</span></em><span> to stick his tongue at me! Can you believe that Patton!?” Roman scoffed, Patton sighed, he’d heard enough of Roman complaining about Virgil to last a lifetime. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>While had to admit neither of them had been great to each other, Roman did tend to over dramatise everything, seemingly expecting huge reactions when all Patton had was “That's unfortunate”. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“He is </span><em><span>so</span></em> <em><span>rude,</span></em><span> padre.” Roman added, crossing his arms like a child throwing a tantrum. Patton sighed once more, “Well kiddo, you were kind of rude to him too. You’ve both been rude to each other from the get go. Why keep fighting with each other and complaining about each other and why not instead just.. Let it go?” Patton offered. He was honestly tired of hearing about it, even if he felt bad for it.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman screwed up his face, but let it go anyways. For then, atleast. “I’ll talk to you later, bye Patt!” Roman called out as he disappeared from view. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton let out another sigh, he was exhausted. The day hadn’t gotten any better from the get go. And soon enough he’d probably be hearing Virgil complain about Roman. Not that he didn’t love them all, of course he did, and their problems mattered to him! </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He sighed a third time, frustrated at himself. He was a bad friend, he shouldn’t be thinking of them as annoying, ever! That made him a bad friend, didn’t it?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Hey Patton, you busy?” He heard Virgil’s voice, looking up he could see the purple haired man standing in front of him. His tone wasn’t too harsh, but his face said angry. Patton resisted the urge to sigh for a fourth time. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Sure kiddo, what do you need?” He said, plastering a smile on his face.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Isn’t he ridiculous?! God, i hate him.” Virgil hissed. He’d been going on for god knows how long about Roman, Patton wasn’t even sure he remembered half of it. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Well virge, i mean, from what i’ve heard, you were a bit more harsh to him that he was to you in that last fight.” Patton said, shrugging, “Maybe he’s just waiting for you to… apologize? Then maybe he’ll apologize back?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil spun around to stare at him like he was insane, “</span><em><span>Apologize? </span></em><span>To </span><em><span>him?</span></em><span> No way, never.” Patton stood up, his legs had given out a while ago when Virgil was rambling on about… Roman’s stupid… arms or something. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Well i don’t know what to tell you, you two either need to apologize or just get over it already and forget about it.” Patton said, tone harsher than even he’d expected. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Geez Patton, what’s gotten into you?” Virgil said, raising one eyebrow. “Maybe it’s everyone using me like my one and only purpose is to listen to your problems?!”  The words ripped from his throat before he could stop them, he was exhausted and as much as he hated to admit it, he was annoyed. Very annoyed.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil stared at him for a minute. “Geez, sorry for ruffling your feathers so much. You know what Patt, fine, i’ll leave you alone. I’ll just go talk to Logan instead.” He huffed, before exiting. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton stood there for a minute. He just raised his voice. At one of his kiddos. He…. did he regret it? He didn’t like raising his voice. At least it wasn’t a full on yell. Still, he…. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He sat down once more, he was supposed to be nice. He was always nice, nice, nice. And he was always kind, kind, kind. And he was always, giving, giving, giving. And caring, caring, caring. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>That’s who he was. He was the nice, sweet quiet guy who you went too with your problems, for a hug and some advice. Someone who was always there to help you pick up the pieces. But no one ever picked up his pieces. The second he wasn’t nice, nice, nice, he was getting huffed at. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Everyone always expected him to just be perfect, be the answer to their problems. He didn’t even know what he was doing, god, he didn’t have a clue! He was exhausted, annoyed yet upset at the same time, he had his own problems. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>His arm was fucked, he was being hunted down by a psychopath who was willing to kill literally everyone else but him and Roman, only for them to be dragged back to their parents and forced to get married. He’d probably get yelled at for weeks, at that point, the only thing that seemed worse than getting married to Roman was literal death. He just wanted to be </span><em><span>free</span></em><span> and now he was here, what was he supposed to </span><em><span>do?</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Should he go and apologize to Virgil, say he was wrong and sorry, tell him it was okay and listen to him vent? Let the others just use him as something to ramble and vent too, then leave him behind? That’s what he would have usually done. Take the blame, and things stay the same. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil was going to talk to Logan, Logan </span><em><span>definitely </span></em><span>wasn’t the person you went to too vent. Especially not about that sort of stuff, since he seemed so adamant it was stupid. Still, maybe Virgil could change his mind, maybe Patton just wasn’t enough to convince Logan that finding someone for you isn’t stupid. Usually, he wouldn’t of cared, would of maybe thought it was nice that Virgil could possibly change Logan’s mind. Maybe they’d even get together, and Patton would be so, so happy for them. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>But maybe it was time he stopped doing what he would usually do. Try something new, different. Patton was no villain or evil maniac in any sort of way, but maybe it was time he stop being quite so nice, nice, nice. </span><span><br/></span><span></span><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>My beta reader said this chapter was better than usual and i was like "Yeah, that's cuz i'm trying this thing called EFFORT-" lmaO- i half assed so much of this- i'm gonna try my best to... try my best from now on- \</p><p>ANYWAYS! just to be clear, Patton isn't gonna turn bad or anything lmao, he's just.. man he's fucking done with everyones bullshit, and yess boi preachhh- DOORMAT PATTON IS N O M O R E-</p><p>Everyone is a such a bitch atm. Like, half the characters rn are just pissed city- LMAO- Remus and Janus in the background not rlly doin much for a few chapters and like actually not being the bitches for once- i can just imagine them to the others like "bro, chill the fuck out-"</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0042"><h2>42. The Past Hurts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Virgil goes to Logan, but things aren't exactly smooth sailing. </p><p>Warnings: Implied abuse, and just Remus being his nasty horny self if that stuff makes you uncomfortable, #Janusneedshelpsomeonesavehim</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Virgil </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>gone to Logan, but by then he had lost the energy to be so pissed. Well, he was still annoyed when he went in, but Logan chose to ignore it and soon enough Virgil had burned himself out.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>"... I was being an ass, wasn't i?" Virgil's voice sounded louder than it should have, since they were in a room that had been near silent apart from the sound of pages flipping for the last ten minutes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Logan sighed, looking up from the huge book of magicks history lying between them. Logan had been simply flipping through, reading through the pages with interest while Virgil fiddled across from him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I was under the impression you were here to learn history." Virgil shot him a look, "Logan." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Logan sighed once more, "From what you have told me, yes, you have been an unpleasant person to be around." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "If you did not wish to come across as such, why did you act that way?" Logan asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>Because</span>
  </em>
  <span>." </span>
</p><p><span>"Because what?" <br/><br/></span><span>"Because im stressed as fuck Logan!" Virgil snapped, that seemed to just keep happening, "In case you haven't </span><em><span>noticed</span></em><span>, not only are we being hunted down by a weird ass dark creature that can see fear and a highly skilled fully guard trained psycho, Patton has a mystery fucked up black arm, and my brother had a breakdown because we were just in the place we grew up were we had the world’s </span><em><span>worst</span></em><span> fucking childhoods because-” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil cut himself off from his outburst, </span><em><span>why</span></em><span> did he have to say that. </span><em><span>Because… </span></em><span> it was the world's worst childhood because-- </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><em><span>He couldn’t remember how old they were exactly, probably around five and eleven. They were hiding, in an old beaten wardrobe, it was too small and cramped and Virgil hated it but it was better than facing what was outside. </span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>The wardrobe, like everything in the crumbling house, had been used to relieve anger, leaving it with scratches and marks all over. It wasn't the most ideal hiding space, flimsy and not very sound proof, hence why Janus had his hand over his mouth to keep him quiet. He couldn’t help crying, it just happened, he couldn’t stop it even when he tried. It was scary, it was also so loud and it hurt. </span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>For a moment, it went almost silent, all he could hear was his own muffled breathing and Janus’ desperately trying to be quiet breaths. Virgil hoped it was over, maybe the anger had settled. He didn’t even know why he was mad. They hadn’t done anything.</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>They never did anything.The reason was just that they were </span></em><b><em>wrong</em></b><em><span>. Janus’ scales were </span></em><b><em>wrong</em></b><em><span> and Virgil’s…. He couldn’t remember what was wrong with him but it was something. Virgil had seen other people, they didn’t look like Janus did with patches of scales on his body or his different coloured eye, because what Janus had was </span></em><b><em>wrong</em></b><em><span> and </span></em><b><em>bad</em></b><em><span> and it kept getting him </span></em><b><em>hurt</em></b><em><span>. </span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>Sometimes Virgil thought things were changing. His mother would ask him to come over, a false sweetness in her voice as she gave him a hug on her lap and told him that she loved him. Then suddenly he was back to being </span></em><b><em>wrong </em></b><em><span>and </span></em><b><em>bad</em></b><em><span> and </span></em><b><em>useless</em></b><em><span>. Just a </span></em><b><em>mistake </em></b><em><span>and a </span></em><b><em>burden</em></b><em><span> and everything was his fault and Janus’ fault. </span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>Like right then. He didn’t understand, neither of them had done a single thing wrong yet still, they were hiding from raging fury and the </span></em><b><em>pain</em></b><em><span>. But things had gone quiet, still…. Were they safe? Did they manage to escape? Did-</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span>The wardrobe doors suddenly swung open, almost flying off and he was so, so </span></em><b><em>mad-</em></b><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil violently snapped back to reality, Logan’s voice in his ear, “Virgil? Virgil, you need to breathe.” The sound of his own barely breathes kicked in, ragged and unlabored, phantom pains flared through his body, the rational part of his brain knew he wasn’t injured but it still hurt. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Virgil, i need you to five name things you can see.” Logan instructed gently. It took Virgil a moment of trying desperately to take in a decent breath, before he finally managed to follow Logan’s request. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I- i uhm… you.. The book… some boxes… a lantern… and uhm.. The .. floor?” Virgil stuttered out. “Four things you can touch, if you will?” Logan asked. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil took in another uneven breath, he still couldn’t fully regain control over his breathing, “Uh- My shirt… the floor again… uhm… does my glove on my hand count?” He wasn’t entirely sure what Logan was even doing. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Yes, that’s fine Virgil, you're doing well. Three things you can hear?” Logan’s voice was calm and quiet as usual, that was helping at least a little. “Uhm… your voice… me… and uhm… i think Remus is yelling somewhere on the ship..” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Logan cracked a tiny smile, “He most likely is, yes. Can you tell me two things you can smell?” Virgil sniffed, “Uhm… salt? Some.. weird musty smell.” Virgil muttered. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Yes, there is many old and unpleasant smelling things in this room.” Logan said, “Alright, and finally, one thing you can taste?” Virgil swirled his tongue around his mouth trying to find a taste, “Uhm… tea?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Do you feel better, Virgil?” Logan asked. Virgil realised that actually, yeah, he did. His breathing was still heavy, but he could breathe properly, taking breaths in and out. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Logan had moved from the other side of the large book to Virgil’s side, not too close still, but Logan tended to have a calming presence about him that made Virgil feel better. He curled in on himself, “I’m sorry.. About that.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“No need to apologize Virgil, it seems you accidentally ended up triggering yourself into what i assume was a distressing memory.” Logan said. Virgil mumbled something Logan couldn’t quite make out, but he assumed it was some sort of ‘thank you’ or perhaps another apology.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Psychical contact is known to help comfort people in these kinds of situations, would you like… a hug?” Logan offered, somewhat awkwardly. Virgil knew that while he was used to hugs, it took time to get used to it with new people, and honestly Virgil was the same. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Still, a hug did sound nice. He gave a small nod, shuffling slightly closer to Logan. It was still awkward, neither of them were really big on physical contact, but even though the strange side hug while his head perched cautiously on Logan’s shoulder wasn’t perfect, it did it’s job at providing the bit of comfort Virgil needed.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>After a moment, he let out a sigh. Now his head was clear, he had one thing he knew he needed to do. “I need to make it up to them.” He said, staring straight ahead instead of looking up to meet Logan’s eyes. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Logan hummed, “If you wish to keep their friendship, yes, that would be advised.” Virgil swallowed, “How… how do i do it?” He asked, unsure if Logan would even have an answer, but god, he needed one. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I have learned that people are most always not looking for just an apology, but an explanation. A reason for your actions.” Logan said, “Therefore, that is what I recommend you do. Apologize and explain, why did you act like that towards them?”   </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil huffed, “Because i’m stressed out of my mind right now.” He then pulled away from Logan, tone softening once more, “But… that just sounds like an excuse. Me just trying to cover up my bullshit.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“It’s simply important that you get the understanding across, that you are sorry and you're not expecting immediate forgiveness, you just wanted to apologize. That’s correct, is it not?” Logan asked. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Well, yeah… for Patton, i was just a dick to him for no reason. Roman… maybe i should… come back to that another day. We have… a lot of shit to work through.”  Virgil mumbled. He pushed himself up from the ground, “Alright so… apologize, explain, don’t expect immediate forgiveness?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Yes.” Logan nodded. Virgil sent a nod back, turning towards the door of the room and about to make his way to the exit when Logan spoke up once more. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Virgil? The most important thing is that you actually regret your actions, you know.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil took in a breath, “I know. And i do. Because for the life of me, i swear i </span><em><span>never</span></em><span> want to become the kind of person who takes their anger out on others who don’t deserve it.”  </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He left before Logan could say anything else, maybe Logan had gathered from context what he meant, or maybe he hadn’t. It didn’t matter, what mattered was that Virgil was determined to not become anything like the person he had called a father.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>--</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus sighed, after a while of Remus’ antics they grew a little boring. Sure, for other people, Remus was an unpredictable disaster. And he was unpredictable to Janus too sometimes, except for the fact he spent most of his time making nasty sexual jokes and ranting about his gruesome thoughts.  </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus spent the majority of this time ignoring Remus, he barely registered half of the things Remus even said. All he heard was far too much use of the word dick, butt and </span><em><span>juicy</span></em><span>, ew. So yes, he tended to block Remus out.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>But again, he was </span><em><span>bored</span></em><span>. It wasn’t very amusing to stare into space while you're trying to ignore a very horny man who has been trying horribly to seduce you for months on end. So Janus decided maybe he’d stop blocking out Remus’ raspy voice. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He hadn’t done it at first, before he’d learned he really should, after hearing juicy butthole for around the sixth time he just couldn’t listen to it anymore. He focused on Remus’ voice once more, letting it seep into his ears as the other was moving around him, he wasn’t sure what he was doing but Remus barely ever stood still anyways.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus looked up at him, and Remus’ gaze snapped to him immediately, he grinned, “Did you decide to start listening to me?” Janus raised an eyebrow, “How do you know i </span><em><span>wasn’t</span></em><span>?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remus shrugged, “I just know these things, speaking of which, now you’re listening, i’ve been thinking of an idea i think you’ll just </span><em><span>love</span></em><span>.” Remus said, he practically skipped over, closer to Janus. He leaned his elbows on the table, still grinning his signature grin which Janus had grown to learn was basically a natural expression.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus groaned, “Oh god. I swear if it’s something sex--” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I was thinking my tentacles could come in handy, i’ve never tried it before but you know, it’s like a bunch more arms… or a bunch more</span><em><span> dicks</span></em><span>-” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Oh </span><em><span>god</span></em><span>, stop talking, stop.” Janus slammed his head down onto the table in front of him, why on earth did he think it was a good idea to listen? Horrible idea, horrible mistake, oh how he wanted to rip his ears off. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Suddenly he felt a hand on his chin and his head had been pulled upwards, and he was looking Remus directly in the eye as the other had the most sultry look he’d ever seen. His voice came out just the same way, sultry and deeper than usual, catching Janus completely off guard,  “Don’t you think that would be </span><em><span>fun</span></em><span>?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Now, Janus always tried to keep himself composed, knowing showing any sign that Remus’ flirting was remotely working would be a disaster. But at that, staring right into Remus’ eyes and those words that with </span><em><span>tone</span></em><span>, he felt his face burn up, probably redder than a tomato. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remus looked like he’d just won a million quid, eyes going wide and grin widening to the most possible it could. Janus pulled away from his grip, no longer being able to look the other in the eye. </span><em><span>Sweet motherfucking god, what the fuck was that?!</span></em> <span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remus opened his mouth again but he was interrupted by the door swinging open and Patton walking in. Remus begrudgingly turned his attention away from his snake man he </span><em><span>finally</span></em><span> got to blush, turning to Patton instead.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What?” He snapped, uhm, hello, he had a sexy literal half fucking snake man to finish seducing! </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton narrowed his brows, speaking in a firm tone Remus wasn't expecting to hear from him. “Teach me how to be more like you two.” </span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*aHEm* so first of all, Virgil is an angsty mess. Second of all, multishippers really do be gettin there juice from this fic- third of all, Janus fr.... i- i don't even know at this point either he needs help or just needs to give in cuz Remus gon get what he wants and some point anyways- and fourth and finally, Patton you BAFFOON-</p><p>alright, that is all, ty and goodnight.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0043"><h2>43. Corrupted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Logan's been reading the power magicks book Remus grabbed from the library, and Patton wants Remus to listen to him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Watch me make the people who don't rlly like dukeciet annoyed with this chapter lmao- im sorry okay it was gone for a while but now the bitch is back-</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Logan, will you put that book down for <em> one </em> second?” Roman huffed. Logan looked up at him, “Why?” Roman rolled his eyes, “I’m trying to talk to you, you know, like friends do. Did you forget we’re supposed to be friends?” <br/><br/>Logan looked back down at the book in his hands, “I was under the impression you were still acting ill-tempered about Virgil.” Roman huffed once more, “Well… shut up!” Logan sighed, looking up once more, “I suppose we shall drop the subject then. What exactly do you wish to discuss?” <br/><br/>Roman blinked, “Uh… i don’t know…” He looked around, as if trying to find a topic of conversation from their plain surroundings, “What…. Are you reading about?” Logan cared about Roman a lot but sometimes he was truly an insufferable idiot. Still, he resisted the urge to hit Roman over the head with the book and instead decided to simply answer the question. <br/><br/>“It is the book on elemental power magicks that Remus took from the library.” He explained, flipping through a few of the pages, “There’s lots in here about the animalistic looks and abilities, although no one ever figured out exactly where they come from or what they are.” <br/><br/>Just then the door swung open as Remus practically charged in. Roman turned to him, “What the heck is your problem man?” Remus huffed, “Not now, RoRo, i don’t have the time! I left Janny alone with Patton and i need one of you to come get the little puffball and keep him away for a while! He suddenly just barged in on me and Janus, how <em> rude </em> is that?” <br/><br/>“Oh, very rude, i can’t imagine someone just barging into somewhere like that.” Roman said, heavy sarcasm in his voice. Remus didn’t seem to notice, “I know! Tut tut…. anyways, one of you just like, i don’t know, come through him over your shoulder or something, he’s tiny after all, just get rid of him.” <br/><br/>Roman sighed heavily, he didn’t want to deal with Remus at that moment, or ever really, and he definitely didn’t want to deal with whatever this thing with Patton was. “We’re busy, Remus, leave us alone.” Remus stuck his tongue out and blew a raspberry at him, “You’re a butthole!” <br/><br/>“What are you even <em> doing </em> ? Were you guys gonna secretly make out or somethin’?” Remus asked. Logan and Roman both made equal sounds of distaste, making Remus snicker. <br/><br/>“I was about to tell Roman about this book you picked up from the magicks library.” Logan said. Remus tilted his head to the side, “How can you <em> read </em> it?” Logan held up the book, “The entire second half of the book is mostly in english.” <br/><br/>Remus went over to Logan, “Weird, i didn’t even notice.” He scanned the pages, there were a few notes scribbled in the magicks language, stuck to or hastily drawn on the pages. Logan hummed, “It’s very engaging. There were many intriguing theories of explanations for the animal like features and abilities you possess.” <br/><br/>Remus leaned his back against the wall, “It’s not something i really care about much.” He paused, “... Does it say anything in there about corrupt magicks?” Logan looked up at him with slightly widened eyes, “Corrupted magicks? Do you mean like-” <br/><br/>“Yeah. Does it say anything?” Remus asked, nodding towards the book. “Not that i’ve seen so far.” Logan said. Roman raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean? Corrupted magicks? What the hell is <em> that </em> ?” <br/><br/>Neither answered him, Remus looked at Logan as Logan turned over the pages of the book. He stopped suddenly, hand slowly sliding down the page and stopping at the bottom as his eyes quickly looked over the words. He looked up, “This… may be something.” <br/><br/>Remus hurriedly moved to his side, grabbing one side of the book with his hand. Roman slowly wandered over, he’d never heard of <em> corrupted magicks </em> before. It didn’t sound good. He waited for Logan and Remus to be done reading the section of the book, hoping one of them would at least fill him in. <br/><br/>Remus bit his lip, “Nothing really.” Logan sighed, “They had a theory for the possibility of ‘broken magic’ being a thing, but no history of it, and many believed it was impossible anyway.” Roman raised an eyebrow, “What was their theory?” <br/><br/>Logan placed the book down, “The animalistic features that magicks users have are a deep part of them, a person wondered what would happen if they were to be damaged, and that led to the theory that someone's magicks could turn sort of corrupt. They couldn’t know for sure of course, after all, no one has ever had damage to them, they are incredibly hard to injure. Some believed that sort of harm could actually be deadly.” <br/><br/>Remus made an undecypherable sound, he looked uncomfortable, but Roman found it extremely hard to believe Remus was even capable of feeling uneasy. Suddenly he was gone, out of the room without another word. Roman blinked at the exit, “What was that about?” <br/><br/>Logan’s gaze was on the door also, except he looked in much deeper in thought, or like he had just realised something. Roman was left feeling he had been left out of something big, which he did <em> not </em> like. <br/><br/>“Logan!” Logan’s gaze snapped to him almost immediately, it was a little unsettling actually. “Do i get any sort of explanation about this?” Logan shook his head, “It’s not my business, Roman. It isn’t my place to tell you, or to talk to you about it.” <br/><br/>Roman wanted to huff again, why was everyone he knew so <em> frustrating </em> ? Logan went back to the book, although he looked visibly less focused on it. Roman raised a brow, what on earth was going on with the guys? <br/><br/>-- <br/><br/>Janus and Patton never particularly got along. Which was why they were now standing awkwardly in silence after Remus had just <em> left </em> , god knows where he went but he looked annoyed. <br/><br/>Janus ran over Patton’s words in his mind for about the fiftieth time, <em> “Teach me to be more like you two.” </em> What did that even mean? It wasn’t like Remus and him were similar people anyways. Well, Janus supposed they had a few similarities, but they weren’t like the same person. <br/><br/>So what exactly did Patton want from them? And why did he practically <em> demand </em> it from them? It didn’t sound like a request when it came out of his mouth. It was weirdly intimidating, considering how short and… non-intimidating Patton was. <br/><br/>Still, it was enough to leave the two of them in a silence. <em> Remus, i swear to Joan, you better get back here </em> . Then the door abruptly opened, Remus having reappeared. He rushed in pretty quick, then suddenly halted about halfway towards Janus. <br/><br/>He looked him over, Janus raised an eyebrow, <em> what is he looking for </em> ? He then suddenly spun around to Patton and began talking like nothing had even happened. “So, what’s this about you wanting to be more like us, hm?” <br/><br/>Patton blinked as if he were processing what he just saw before he eventually spoke up, “Oh- uh- well, not exactly. I just want to learn to be a little more… assertive, i guess?” He shrugged, then stilled, “Uh… i guess saying i guess and shrugging isn’t a good start.” <br/><br/>“You realise you just did it again, right?” <br/><br/>Patton sighed in frustration, “I’m tired of people thinking i’m just some sort of object to vent too, or someone you can just walk all over and get away with it!” Remus nodded seriously, although his words didn’t exactly match his face, “So you’re tired of being a shitty little doormat?” <br/><br/>“Well Patton, i don’t think we can help you.” Patton went to object but Remus cut him off with his continued words, "You're a lost cause. You can’t help a soft, pathetic little baby man, Patton! I’m sorry, you’re just too weak.” <br/><br/>Neither Janus nor Remus were expecting Patton’s reaction, he gasped, “How dare you! It is <em> so rude </em> to speak to people like that, mister! You better apologize right now!” Patton demanded, arms crossed and voice stern. Remus stopped, staring at Patton. “I said apologize, i don’t have all day!” <br/><br/>Remus blinked a few times, “Uh…” Janus held back a laugh, it was unbelievably funny to watch Patton, a head shorter than Remus, tell him off like a dad telling off a child misbehaving and practically causing Remus to malfunction. <br/><br/>“I don’t apologize.” Remus said, suddenly having regained himself and sticking his nose up in the air, it was the sort of thing you’d expect from Roman. Patton huffed, “Well, i guess today is the day you start.” <br/><br/>Remus shook his head, “Nu-uh, <em> never </em> !” Patton brows furrowed further, “Well then we’re going to be standing here a long time, because i’m not going anywhere without an apology!” Remus stuck his tongue out at the other, “You’re a butthole too!” <br/><br/>Janus sighed, it had gone from funny to just plain stupid pretty fast. “Remus! You can’t speak to people like that without a good reason and get away with it, now say sorry!” Patton took a step closer to Remus, if he was taller it <em> might </em> be considered squaring him up.  <br/><br/>“No! I don’t have to apologize to no one, ever, for nothing! Because i can do what i want!” Remus shot back. Janus had to remind himself that Remus was almost thirty and in fact, not a five year old. <br/><br/>He couldn’t watch this mess any longer. He took the steps forward towards Remus, “Remus, come on, just shut up and say sorry already.” Remus turned his head, “No! Not you too!” Janus rolled his eyes, “I don’t care about him getting his apology, i just want you to shut your goddamn mouth. This is getting sad to look at.” <br/><br/>Remus sulked, “I’m not going to say sorry!” <br/><br/>“ <em> Remus </em> ! It’s just one word, stop being such a child!” Janus hissed. Remus shook his head, “No, nope, never!” Patton opened his mouth to say something else but Janus beat him to it. Not with words, however. <br/><br/>He knew he was going to regret it but desperate times call for desperate measures. So, despite his best judgement, he grabbed Remus’ face and placed a kiss on his cheek. “There. Is that enough? Now just shut up and apologize already.” <br/><br/>Remus looked like was about to fucking <em> explode </em> . Janus moved back, “Apologize first.” Remus’ head shot around to face Patton so fast his neck could of snapped, “Sorry.” The word was spat out so fast they barely heard it. He spun back around to Janus, grinning wide. <br/><br/>“Ah <em> shit </em> .” Janus mumbled. Remus went to put his arms around the other but Janus pushed back, “Nope.” Remus nodded, “Yes.” He wrapped his arms around Janus’ waist. Janus pressed and pushed his hand against Remus’ chest, “Nope, no, no, no.” <br/><br/>Remus nodded rapidly, “Yes, yes, yes.” He sing-songed, “You kissed me! You <em> kissed me </em> !” Janus shook his head, “It was not a <em> real kiss </em> . Now get off of me!” Remus pouted, “But Jan-Jan! I want a proper kissy!” <br/><br/>“No, never.” Janus finally managed to pull himself out of Remus’ grip, leaving Remus even more pouty. Patton quietly cleared his throat, reminding the two he was still there. Janus flushed slightly, moving back further, having momentarily forgot Patton was there. Remus huffed, “You have interrupted me <em> two </em> times today, Patton! Give me one good reason why i should help <em> you </em> with anything!” <br/><br/>Patton smiled, almost warmly as if Remus had just said anything remotely kind, “Why should you not?” He asked simply. Remus opened his mouth to respond when he realised… he didn’t have a response to that. Patton’s smile grew, “So that’s a yes then?” <br/><br/>Remus puffed out a breath, “Fine, i <em> guess </em> . What exactly do you want us to even do? ‘Teach you’ isn’t quite specific enough, pattycake.” Patton hummed, “I don’t know. I’ve just never been able to stand up to people, you know? I just wondered how you guys did it so seemingly easily.” <br/><br/>Janus scoffed, “Are you serious? <em> Never stand up to people </em> ? I literally just watched you tell Remus off like a damn child and make him actually lose his words. <em> Remus </em> .” <br/><br/>Patton blinked, he hadn’t even <em> realised </em> . He looked between the two, “I…. i guess i did do that, huh?” <br/><br/>“Yep, definitely. For the record, it was great to watch until he started talking again.” Janus said with a smirk. “You’re the one who kissed me.” Remus remarked. Janus sighed heavily, “That is going to be your comeback forever, isn’t it?” <br/> <br/>Remus grinned, "Abs-o-<em>fucking</em>-lutely."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It's past 2am kiddos, i'm going to slEEP- as ur mother who is actually male but still your mother i demand you get some sleep, i don't care what time it is, take a nap or some shit, i know you're all tired and sleep deprived af, GO TO BED.</p><p>Okay anyways hope you enjoyed, it might be shit i didn't have my beta read it- lmao toodles &lt;3 &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Running Red With Blood</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Warnings: mention of death/murder </p><p>Everyone's stressed and irritable, and of course, more people are going to snap.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>“</span><em><span>Ugghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh</span></em><span>.” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>James let out a long sigh, “Are you done?” He turned around, shooting dark a look. The creature rolled its eyes, “I’m </span><em><span>bored</span></em><span>. It’s been </span><em><span>weeks</span></em><span>. Why haven’t we gone after them again? We’re simply wasting time here, darling.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>James growled, “We can’t just attack randomly. Because they're </span><em><span>expecting</span></em><span> that. Can’t believe i was so reckless last time, i </span><em><span>knew</span></em><span> they had magicks, i just didn’t know the purple one could teleport like that...” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Well, i didn’t know either darling and we still managed to get pretty far. Besides, we never went back to check, for all we know there's only four of them left.” The dark creature smirked, “That sure would make things easier, wouldn’t it?”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>James chuckled slightly,</span> <span>“</span><em><span>Good riddance</span></em><span>. But we don’t know for definite. We have to factor them into our attack just in case.” The creature groaned again, then suddenly they perked up like an idea had popped into their head, “Let’s just attack one of them! We can bring them back as bait for the others.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>James raised an eyebrow, “Which one exactly do you plan on taking?” Dark shrugged, “I don’t know. How would we even go about capturing one of them?” James let out a frustrated huff, “You don’t even know how to execute your own plan.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Not my job, sweetheart. My job is to use people’s fear against them, then get what i want.” The creature said. James paused, “Wait… how many of them have you seen the fears of?” The dark creature looked at him with confusion, “Uh…. the purple haired one, the small blue princey one, and the scaly one. Why?” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>James hummed, he went over to the other side of the room and grabbed something that had been thrown on top of an old storage crate. He turned back around, “I picked this up before we left after that last fight. I thought we wouldn’t need it since we had those clothes to track the duke, but this? It belongs to-”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“</span><em><span>Oh</span></em><span>, i see where you're going with this.” Dark said, smirk crawling onto their face, “So, i track him, go, shapeshift n’ do my thing, then?” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Make sure he has no fight left or we’re going to have problems, then bring him back here and we can go right back to where they need those bratty princes, they’ll all come looking for him like the pathetic idiots they are, and then we’ve got them all, job done.” James said, grin growing wide.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“This is it. Finally, we’re going to end this all.” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>--</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Virgil sighed, running a hand through his hair. He’d just been to apologize to Patton, it went fairly well, Patton had seemed to forgive him which was good, although he did mention he was still slightly upset about it, which Virgil got. He’d been such an ass he didn’t even care when Patton had his outburst, clearly distressed about something, and he hadn’t even said a thing, just stormed out. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He knew it might be a little rocky between them for a while but he could live with that. It was nowhere near as bad as his mess with Roman. Which… he still had no idea how to deal with. He wasn’t even sure where he was going until he realised his legs had been taking him to the ship’s navigation room.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Where he found Logan, which didn’t surprise him in the slightest. For some reason Logan had become his new go-to person, it was sort of strange, but better in a way. Janus gave… interesting advice, whereas Logan gave logical advice. The logical advice tended to end up working better. ...And it was less destructive.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>And anyways, Logan knew Roman well, right? They were best friends after all, maybe Logan could help him figure out what to do. So he went and took a seat beside Logan, who was, as usual, buried in a book. Although, on closer inspection, Virgil noticed it was actually his journal ...notebook thingy (Virgil had no clue what it was actually classified as) and not a book. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He tapped on Logan’s shoulder, “Lo.” Logan looked up at him, surprise written on his face as he clearly hadn’t even noticed Virgil had entered the room. Virgil offered him a tiny smile. “Ah, Virgil.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He placed the journal down, then turned back to Virgil, “Is there something you wish to discuss?” Virgil let out a sigh and sat down next to the other. He almost immediately flopped forward, arms on the table acting as a pillow so he at least didn’t slam right into the table.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Virgil, almost breaking your nose is not an answer to my question.” He heard Logan’s voice, a little muffled from his position, but he heard. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, head in his hands, “I don’t</span><em><span> know</span></em><span>, Logan. That’s your answer.” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Logan hummed, by that point, he had grown used to Virgil and how he acted. He found that over the past four or so days, Virgil had kept repeatedly coming to him, talking on about the sort of things Logan would have usually thought he would tell Patton or his brother. Still, he didn’t mind too much, it was a nice change from Roman’s constant ranting about Virgil himself. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“I suppose we’ll have to narrow it down. Is it Patton?” Virgil shook his head. “Is it Janus? From what i have seen he seems to be alright now.” Virgil shook his head once more, “Nope.” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Logan quirked up a brow, “Then…” He stopped himself, realisation drawing, quickly replaced by mild annoyance, “This isn’t about</span><em><span> Roman,</span></em><span> is it?” Virgil shifted slightly, enough for Logan to get his answer. He let out a sigh, he couldn’t stand to hear any more about </span><em><span>this</span></em><span>.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“I don’t know what to do! He won’t even look at me, which is fair since i don’t look at him either, but that’s the problem! I wouldn’t even know where to begin talking to him, let alone try and make a good enough apology!” The words were practically spat out, Logan taking a moment to process them all as they came out so fast.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Virgil.” Virgil looked over at him, face clearly distressed, “Why do you suddenly care about apologizing to Roman?” He asked. “</span><em><span>What</span></em><span>?” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Logan repeated himself, “Why do you suddenly care about apologizing to Roman? You had no interest before.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“The same reason i apologized to Patton. Because i was being an ass. … And… the other thing i said.” Virgil said, mumbling the last part out. Logan nodded, he clearly remembered what Virgil had said to him last time, but it seemed like the sort of subject even Logan knew not to bring up, “So, what’s the difference in your apology?” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Virgil was quiet for a minute, Logan stayed quiet beside him, watching as the other stared blankly at the table. He was about to speak up, ask if Virgil had zoned out or something, but Virgil spoke first. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Because the reason…. </span><em><span>Is</span></em><span> different.” Virgil turned his head towards Logan slightly, yet not looking directly at the other,  “...It started because of that whole thing, remember? And i freaked out. Because it made me vulnerable. He freaked out too, i’m not sure why really, but what got me was when he suddenly started being </span><em><span>nice </span></em><span>again. Like nothing happened, like we were good friends or something. And it was just so… </span><em><span>confusing</span></em><span>. Nothing had changed, nothing about the situation that made him upset in the first place has been taken back. It felt like some sort of… trick or something. And i just… it freaked me out more, because i was scared of being vulnerable still. So i lashed at him again, for multiple reasons, because i was confused and stressed, because if i was mean to him, he’d never be nice to me, right? But now… i’ve just made a stupid huge mess… and i don’t know how to fix it.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>The words, spoken like a confession, hung in the air.  It was completely silent, Logan unsure of how to respond, that was until he heard a slight sniffle. He decided not to mention the few tears in the corner of the other’s eyes, instead simply offering his arm out, feeling a weight press into him a moment later. They were both completely silent, but it wasn’t a strange uncomfortable silence, having hugged before, it wasn’t as unfamiliar.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>It stayed quiet until the door swung open, Logan looked up to see Roman in the doorway. He was frozen, mouth hanging open like he was about to speak. He looked over the two for a moment before turning and quickly walking back out again.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>--</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“And that’s how i became best friends with Gilbert the dragon.” Remus finished his long-winded tale, looking up at the people he’d been telling it too. Patton looked fully impressed, Janus bored and looking like he didn’t really believe it, and Remy and Emile were talking amongst themselves, probably not even listening. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He huffed, how dare these people not fully appreciate his amazing story telling skills! He needed someone else to impress, like….</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Roman suddenly appeared through the doorway, </span><em><span>that’ll do</span></em><span>, Remus bounced over to him, “Howdy there- woah now, what's with that face, RoRo?” He booped the other on the nose, grinning. Roman didn’t look impressed.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Leave me alone, Remus.” He growled, pushing past the other. “Hey, Roman have you seen Logan and Virgil? They're the only ones not here right now and since it’s around lunch time i thought we could eat together.” Emile called out to him from across the room.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Roman froze. “Roman?” Emile called out again, confused by the lack of a response. Roman suddenly spun around, “No. I haven’t.” He said, somewhat bitterly. “Geez Roman what crawled up your ass and died?” Remus said, apparently he had picked up on the bitterness. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Roman huffed, “Not right now Remus.” Remus rolled his eyes, “Don’t act like </span><em><span>you’ve</span></em><span> had a bad time! Would you believe the other day Jan Jan </span><em><span>kissed</span></em><span> me and refuses to acknowledge he did it?” He scoffed in disbelief as his own words.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“I don’t care, Remus. Besides, Janus doesn’t like you, at </span><em><span>all</span></em><span>. At least my shit is actually </span><em><span>real</span></em><span>.” Remus gasped as Roman’s words, “How dare you! Of course he loves me!” He called across to the other side of the room, Roman wincing at the loudness of Remus’ unpleasant sounding voice, “You love me!”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“No, i don't.” Remus ignored Janus’ response, attention staying on Roman instead with a smug look on his face, as if anything gave him the right to look smug. It was Roman’s turn to roll his eyes at that, "You're such an idiot. Your biggest problem is that snake face doesn’t want to sleep with you, i have much worse than that. Or did you forget the fact that someone on this ship won’t even look me in the eye because he’s such a--” The image of Logan and Virgil holding each other flashed before Roman’s eyes, “</span><em><span>-Asshole</span></em><span>.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Oh </span><em><span>bullcrap</span></em><span>! You say that yet you won’t fucking shut up about him for two seconds! Mix signals there, don’t you think?” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Roman glared at Remus, “There are no </span><em><span>mixed signals</span></em><span>.” He said firmly. Remus scoffed, “Sure. Besides, i think i have some shit too, don’t you think? I have had an extremely painful tracking spell used on me </span><em><span>multiple times</span></em><span>.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Oh, suddenly Mr. high pain tolerance isn’t quite so high and mighty, huh?” Roman spat. He didn’t know why he was getting so pissed, but he was, he could feel the anger building fast inside of him. Remus snarled at him, “When do you become such a salty prick, Roman? Why are you acting like this anyways?” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Roman growled, “It’s not any of your fucking business!” Remus’ looked hardened even further, “For someone who’s meant to be like my brother, you’re being a real crappy filled butthole right now.” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>That’s when Roman snapped, he wasn’t sure why those words were his breaking point, but they were. The anger building up inside of him erupted, causing him to yell loudly, “We are NOT FUCKING </span><em><span>BROTHERS</span></em><span>!” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>There was barely any hesitance before Remus harshly shot back, “I’d make better fucking family for you than your actual one!” In the moment, Roman was only angry, he didn’t care what he was saying, he only wanted it to hurt. He was lost in the anger he didn’t even know where had come from, the words spilling out of his mouth as soon as they came to his mind.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“DON’T FUCKING ACT LIKE YOU KNOW SHIT ABOUT MY FAMILY! You all act like they’ve done the most unforgivable crime, well, as far as I KNOW, THEY HAVEN’T DONE </span><em><span>ANYTHING! </span></em><span>So back THE FUCK OFF AND STOP ACTING LIKE THEY HAVE DONE A SINGLE THING TO ANY OF YOU!” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He expected more shouting, maybe for someone to intervene and try and stop the fight, maybe even for Remus to come at him. But he got </span><em><span>nothing</span></em><span>. Everyone was silent. He had squeezed his eyes closed in his angry rant and when he opened them, he saw the last thing he expected to see.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Remus was clearly </span><em><span>furious</span></em><span>, but in the corner of his eyes, Roman could see tears blooming. Actual tears. Like… like Remus was about to </span><em><span>cry</span></em><span>. His voice, although a little shaky, was still full of unbridled rage when he spoke up again.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Your fucking precious </span><em><span>king</span></em><span> and</span><em><span> queen</span></em><span> parents,” He spat out the words king and queen like they were something dirty, “Definitely fucking did something to ME.” Suddenly, in the tense silence of the room, there was the sound of Janus moving to Remus’ side, tugging on his arm slightly, “Remus-”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“</span><em><span>No</span></em><span>.” Remus shoved him off, “</span><em><span>One fucking loaf of bread.</span></em><span>” The words didn’t make any sense to Roman until Remus kept talking, voice full of pure venom, “That’s ALL it TOOK for your </span><em><span>parents</span></em><span> to </span><em><span>take the lives</span></em><span> of MINE. ONE LOAF OF BREAD, FOR A LIFE TIME OF THE HAUNTING MEMORY OF WHEN YOUR GOD-FUCKING-FORSAKEN INHUMANE EXCUSE FOR PARENTS,” There was a brief second of pause when Roman heard a shaky heavy breath, “</span><em><span>MURDERED</span></em><span> MINE </span><em><span>RIGHT IN </span></em><b><em>FRONT OF ME</em></b><span>!” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>And just like that, the air in the room shifted from tense to </span><em><span>horrified</span></em><span>. The silence left behind louder than a gunshot, apart from the sound of heavy unlabored breathing. When a tear fell to the ground, a barely audible yet so painfully loud sound in the room, Remus was gone, pushing out of the room yet leaving everything he had said behind. </span><span></span><br/>
<span><br/>
</span><span>Remy got up, concerned deeply about his friend as he’d never seen Remus tell anyone about that before. Janus seemed to have the same thought as they both disappeared after Remus, and the room was left, despite still being full with people, feeling completely empty. </span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ha<br/>ha<br/>ha....</p><p>Yeah, more angst is coming. But the next chapter is a real surprise, let me tell ya-</p><p>Oh also, if you're confused by a few things the dark creature and james said they were talking about the fight in chapter 28, if you wanna go back and find it lmao-</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0045"><h2>45. One Broken Heart, Two Broken Souls</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Remus is upset, old memories are reappearing and he's frustrated and distraught. It doesn't go well.</p><p>Warnings:Mention of death, Reference to/implied abuse, REAL BAD self-deprecating thoughts</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“<em>Remus</em>! Remus, please slow down!” Remy called out to his old friend as he and Janus followed after him, he’d never expected this. Even when Remus lost it, something that rarely ever happened, he never would have thought he’d say </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was the most personal thing he could have said by Remus’ standards, and now practically everyone knew. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Only Logan and Virgil would have ended up being oblivious, and he doubted they would stay that way for long, someone was going to tell them. He glanced at Janus, did he already know? It seemed like he did, he briefly wondered when Remus told the other, before redirecting his attention back to his distressed friend. What happened between Remus and Janus wasn’t really his business, after all.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Remus finally came to a stop, having stormed his way to the other side of the boat by that point. He turned around, seeming to finally realise that Janus and Remy had followed him. All three of them were a bit out of breath by then, a few moments of just heavy breaths. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Go away.” Remus mumbled finally, breaking the silence. He wasn’t really crying, a few subtle shakes in his breath and a few tears dripping down his face, but if you looked, you could see it. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Remus--” Remy began, but was cut off, “I said GO AWAY!” Remus snapped. There was another tick of silence, before Janus gave Remy a look. Remy raised an eyebrow, whispering, “You think you can calm him down?” Janus bit his lip, then shrugged. Remy sighed, “Alright….” He reluctantly walked out, he knew he himself would have no luck either. Usually with Remus it was a matter of waiting for the anger to burn out, but it couldn’t hurt for Janus to try. He highly doubted Remus would have another outburst, especially at Janus, he was pretty sure Remus was incapable of being mad at that guy. He left with a sigh, hopefully it would be okay.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Janus took in a breath, he was standing a few steps back from Remus, the other had his back turned to him. Anger didn’t unnerve him, he’d seen enough of it to be used to it, but there were… certain people. Someone you're either very used to seeing angry and you know it won’t turn out well, or someone… you’ve never seen like that, because if you never see it, you're not prepared for it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Remus?” He took a slow step forward. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Remus snapped, turning his head. “I… are you… okay? That was a big thing to-” Remus chuckled, no humor in it at all, cutting Janus off, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Do you think i’m fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>!?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I--” Remus spun around fully, cutting Janus off once more, “That </span>
  <em>
    <span>dickweed</span>
  </em>
  <span> royal </span>
  <em>
    <span>asshole</span>
  </em>
  <span> just made me lose my shit and reveal the </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> FUCKING thing about myself i feel i should hide, i </span>
  <em>
    <span>yelled</span>
  </em>
  <span> it to an </span>
  <em>
    <span>entire room</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Everyone knows.</span>
  </em>
  <span> and you ask me if i’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>OKAY</span>
  </em>
  <span>!?” He hadn’t noticed himself grow in volume again until the room fell silent again. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He didn’t even bother to look at Janus properly, not enough tears to cloud his vision but enough to blur it and make him want to turn away again. No one liked to have others see them cry. He wished he wasn’t, he didn’t even cry when he told Janus the first time, but with so much anger and now pain from the memories built up inside him, the tears came without his permission and with him unable to stop them, tears of frustration and torment mixing together. Many things about magicks users weren’t human, Logan had even said in the history book someone had once come up with an idea they were an entirely different species, but one thing that was the same, was the emotions. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Uncontrollable and confusing, something everyone wishes they didn’t have to deal with at some point. And right then, Remus definitely didn’t want to deal with them. He wanted… he wasn’t sure exactly, but he didn’t need Janus there badgering him. He huffed out a breath, “I told you to go away, didn’t i?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He had turned back around, arms crossed against his chest tightly, hugging himself. He heard a few steps from behind him, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Holy shit </span>
  </em>
  <span>was it so hard to understand when someone told you to </span>
  <em>
    <span>go away</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Then there was a hand on his shoulder, somewhat hesitant but still there,. “Alright, i’m sorry, that was a dumb question. Let me rephrase it. Are you</span>
  <em>
    <span> going</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be okay?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span> For whatever reason, the trying so hard to be kind and gentle tone only made him </span>
  <em>
    <span>angrier</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Because Janus never tried, he was always pushing Remus off and was uncaring about telling him to fuck off or whatever right to his face. But now, all of sudden, he cared? Well, he had cared the first time Remus opened up to him, but he didn’t react like this, a moment of quiet and he was back to always brushing Remus off and verbally challenging everything he said. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>So maybe it was the anger, he had gotten mad and </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span> Janus felt the need to be nicer? What kind of bullshit was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Treating him like a bomb that’s going to explode, that sure felt kind, didn’t it? </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well when i learn how to see the future, i’ll let you know.” He knew he was acting pissy, but he didn’t care. He turned back around, watching as Janus’ expression turned bemused. “Wha-” Remus cut him off a third time, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jesus</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just take the fucking hint and go </span>
  <em>
    <span>away</span>
  </em>
  <span> already! I don’t want your pity kindness or whatever this shit is!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Pity kindness</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Janus echoed, taking a few steps back, not that Remus really noticed. “Mr. I don’t give a shit is suddenly all nicey-nicey, like you’ve ever fucking tried to be that before!” He hissed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He also didn’t notice his voice raising once more, still somehow worked up and being driven by god knows what emotions, buried somewhere deep inside of him and suddenly resurfacing, like burning charcoal that had been stuck at the bottom of the pile for god knows how many years, “I mean,” He paused to laugh, once more not a drop of humor in it, “Don’t mind me, after all i’ve only been dealing with you rejecting everything i try to do or say over and over for </span>
  <em>
    <span>months</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He started to move, pace around the small spot as he got more aggravated, staying still was too hard at that point, arms moving around too, practically flapping in his frustration, “But you just kept going with it, telling me that you had no interest yet you hugged me and the other day you </span>
  <em>
    <span>kissed me</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but you would say things like you didn’t like me and that you wanted me too fuck off but then you would suddenly be saying something different, like you couldn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking</span>
  </em>
  <span> make up your mind!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He took in a few deep breaths, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to start crying again, his tears were practically gone at that point anyways. He didn’t even know what he was really ranting about at that point, but it felt like something he needed to get off his chest, and at that point he couldn’t completely cut himself off if he tried. So he continued, irritation still rising, “I don’t get it! Were you doing it on purpose? Were you just trying to piss me off or mess with me or some shit? Surely, even if you weren’t, you would of fucking realised what you were doing by now?!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“I--” Janus could barely get a word out of his mouth, if he had gotten any more words out Remus might have noticed his complete shift in tone, but Remus barely took notice of him anyways, despite his angry rant about him. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Remus growled, “Seriously! What the fuck? You’re just this-- gah, i don’t even fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>KNOW</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You just fucking show up, a literal fucking criminal, and from the get-go, you never once seriously told me to stop because you hated it or because it was making you uncomfortable. You just kept </span>
  <em>
    <span>going</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Then suddenly you have this whole tragic past, and your opening up to me, and your </span>
  <em>
    <span>trusting me</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And then your back to ‘I don’t like you’ and ‘Fuck off’ and all the BULLSHIT you were saying when we first met, because your so fucking messed up you can’t even let your guard fall down for more than </span>
  <em>
    <span>two </span>
  </em>
  <span>FUCKING SECONDS! That shit isn’t an excuse for how you act now! You don’t even trust me enough to tell me the full fucking story! Go on, what is it? What FUCKING SHIT is the reason you have SOME MUCH </span>
  <em>
    <span>FUCKING CRAP, </span>
  </em>
  <span>SERIOUSLY,</span>
  <em>
    <span> WHAT THE FUCK IS EVEN </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>WRONG </em>
  </b>
  <span>WITH YOU?!” </span>
</p><p><span><br/></span><span>For the second time that day, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from yelling, anger and other emotions twisting and spilling over. And once again, it left deafening silence. He didn’t look in Janus’ direction, he couldn’t bring himself too. Partly, the things he said were the true way he felt. It was stressful, having someone you care about so much treat you like a twisted yoyo, but also, he knew, really, that Janus hadn’t been doing it on purpose. So many of the things he said came from anger, and he regretted half of them already. In the choas, his tentacles had emerged, leaving him stood stiffly, fists balled up, a furious look on his face.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He didn’t move, brain not catching up to his body quite yet as he processed what he’d just said, until he heard quiet… sniffling? Wait-- It broke though, bringing him back to the present, just as he heard, in a shaky quiet voice, “</span><em><span>Everything.</span></em><span>” His breath hitched in his throat, “Everything is wrong with me. Haven’t you</span><em><span> noticed</span></em><span>?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Janus--” He stood down, the realisation of his words crashing into him. He tried to open his mouth, not even sure where to start, but Janus beat him too it. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“No, you’re right. Everything, you’re right about everything. I’m a fucking </span><em><span>mess</span></em><span>. I didn’t mean to, i swear, i just… you’re right, i can’t let my guard down. Everytime we had any sort of genuine moment i just panicked. At first, i couldn’t convince myself for ages that you weren’t just completely joking around. And i was so afraid of feeling vulnerable that i had too cover any sort of genuine feeling with jokes and shit. I couldn’t figure out my own feelings and i was…” Remus now saw that since he had started growing louder, Janus had backed himself up against the wall, he was clearly trying to hold back tears, and he looked… “Scared.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It wasn’t pity kindness, it was… fear? That didn’t make it any better. In fact, that was so much worse. “Scared? Of.. what?” Remus asked cautiously. He tried to ignore the aching feeling inside of him, the part of him that knew </span><em><span>he’d </span></em><span>just been the one to scare Janus, even if Janus was talking about the past right then, that didn’t take away from the fact he was still backed against the wall now. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Of.. everything, i guess. Scared of the vulnerability, scared of what would happen if i did have feelings because i’ve never had that before, i was scared of all the unknown possibilities.” Janus’ words faded into a mumble as he slid down the wall to the floor, mostly, it was out of exhaustion. He was scared and confused, no matter who you are, it’s awful to have someone burst on you like that, even if he knew Remus wouldn’t purposely hurt him… he hoped. And he was tired, tired of it all, tired of life, if he was being honest.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Because it was true, everything Remus said was true, and he didn’t even fully realise. Really, he’d just been unsure, going back and forth out of fear of what would happen if he let things be fully genuine. And, as much as he hated to admit it, because he was somewhat scared of Remus rejecting </span><em><span>him</span></em><span>. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He had some confidence, sure, in his abilities to steal and use a dagger, but in anything else, it severely lacked, it was difficult to find confidence no one had ever given you. And the idea of Remus finding out, all of it, the ugly details, the horrible truths, how tainted he actually was, that it would put him off. Too much baggage, too many </span><em><span>lies</span></em><span>.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>There were so many lies. Not so much big, obvious ones, more just the little ones, cracks and holes in the persona he displayed, the things he said, how self-assured he acted. It wasn’t all a complete lie of course, but there were so many times he just </span><em><span>couldn’t</span></em><span> be honest, because it made him </span><em><span>vulnerable</span></em><span>. And years ago, he’d told himself that he could never be vulnerable again, not like that, not a useless kid, unable to help anything without making it worse. He’d told Virgil it too, once he got a little older, that they just couldn’t </span><em><span>afford</span></em><span> to be vulnerable. He was never as harsh on his brother as himself, after all, in his eyes, Virgil remained a child much longer than he actually did, because Janus never let himself stop protecting him. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Until recently, he supposed. He’d definitely let it drop a lot, finally seeing that Virgil was actually a very capable adult. But it was difficult at times, not only had he been so determined to protect Virgil to keep him safe, it also gave Janus a </span><em><span>purpose</span></em><span>. He stole things for </span><em><span>Virgil</span></em><span>, he fought people off for </span><em><span>Virgil,</span></em><span> he </span><em><span>kept going</span></em><span> for </span><em><span>Virgil</span></em><span>. It wasn’t that he completely had no fuel to life himself, but Virgil was his main fuel, reason to keep going. It had been from the start, from the day he was born and Janus knew no one else was going to keep him safe, not in that broken home.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>And because of that, he couldn’t let it show how broken he actually was. Too many repressed memories and words that used to haunt him. Sometimes it all came back, sometimes someone's words still got through to him. And this… “God, you’re… you’re right, i’m just an idiot, and i was too dumb to see, and i was accidently messing with you along and i’m </span><em><span>wrong</span></em><span>, i’m sorry.” He curled in on himself, hiding his face in his hands. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He usually wouldn’t expect a negative reaction from Remus, but this time he was </span><em><span>right</span></em><span>. He had every reason to be angry. And yet, there was no more yelling or attacks or anything, not even Remus just walking away, instead there was… </span><em><span>concern?</span></em> <span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He heard footsteps rapidly coming closer, flinching, but nothing happened apart from Remus’ voice, suddenly sounding oddly desperate, “Janus </span><em><span>no</span></em><span>, shit, i’m sorry i was mad and i was spewing bullshit, i swear.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“No you weren’t, you were right about everything.” Janus muttered, he was trying his best not to let any tears spill, he hadn’t cried in a long time and he didn’t plan on re-starting now. “No! I wasn’t. Yeah, some of the things i said, i meant, because this entire thing has been stressful, for both of us. But i was so lost in my anger, Jan, i don’t even know where half of that even came from.” Remus said, almost like he was pleading Janus to believe him. </span><em><span>Why</span></em><span>?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus was trying to think of a response when he suddenly felt arms around him, he startled, after it was unexpected and he was still unsure about hugs from anyone who wasn’t Virgil. But nothing bad happened, he was only taken from being curled up on the floor to curled up in Remus’ arms, head pressed against the other’s chest. His hat had been taken off his head, probably placed aside. He automatically went to hide his face, hearing a slight chuckle from Remus. At least the situation had lightened, and it didn’t seem Remus was mad at him anymore. He wasn’t sure he could stand to have the other yell at him like that again. He heard a sigh, “Janus, i’m really sorry about that, yeah, we’ve both made mistakes, but i went too far. You’re not an idiot and i know you weren’t doing it on purpose, and you're most definitely not </span><em><span>wrong</span></em><span>.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus couldn’t help it, he was biting his lip in one last attempt to keep the tears at bay but they startled falling down anyways, a sob retching from his throat. He felt Remus tense, and he was ready to immediately pull away, but the arms around him only tightened protectively.  “Oh, Jan, what is it? Was it something i said?” Remus asked, voice quiet and filled with even more concern. Janus felt like crying more honestly, Remus was never concerned about things, it was horrible to make him feel that way, it was practically </span><em><span>unnatural</span></em><span> for Remus to be concerned about </span><em><span>anything</span></em><span>.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus tried to shake his head, before realising there was no room too, and attempting to speak, hoping it wouldn’t come out too shaky, “N- no, i just… no one’s ever been able to say that to me before.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Say… what?” Remus asked, unclear on what Janus was talking about. Janus took in a deep breath, pausing for a moment. “That… t-that i’m not </span><em><span>wrong</span></em><span>.” His voice was muffled, but Remus still caught what he said. He took a sharp inhale of breath, “What… what do you mean?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus pulled back slightly, although it was clear by his grip of Remus’ shirt that he wasn’t going anywhere. “</span><em><span>Thirteen years</span></em><span>. That’s how long it was before i </span><em><span>finally</span></em><span> got out of there, but even then, when you’re on the streets, people aren’t exactly kind… especially with a face like mine. And Virgil…. of course, he doesn’t mean that i’m bad or anything, but he was hearing the same things i was for all those years, all those awful things and all that pain he never deserved, i don’t even remember how they </span><em><span>knew</span></em><span> he had magicks, but he could never say it because he didn’t believe it either.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remus wiped the tears from Janus’ eyes, trying desperately to think of a response. If Janus’ father hadn't already been dead, Remus would have </span><em><span>destroyed</span></em><span> him.  “That’s… i’m sorry you had to go through that. But… i promise you that to me nothing about you is wrong. It doesn’t matter if you have scales or if you have corrupted magicks, or if you came from a bad home or that you were a thief, because that’s what makes you, </span><em><span>you</span></em><span>. And i think it’s all amazing.” There was a light pink blush across the other’s face, looking up at Remus as if he was looking to see if Remus was telling the truth, hoping so badly that he was. And he was, Remus had never regretted anything so much in his life as saying those things to him. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Because as much as Janus looked like he would never break, like he would keep going no matter what and not let anyone get in his way, he was just like everyone else, he had a breaking point, and he crumbled completely under the weight of everything from his past. It left someone vulnerable behind, the person Janus spent his whole life trying to keep at bay, because he was scared of how people would use that vulnerability to their advantage. But looking at him like this, any defense he had broken down because of words, </span><em><span>one</span></em><span> word that hit him the hardest, Remus was seeing that vulnerability. And he would never dream of taking advantage of it, he wanted to hold Janus close and keep him safe from the demons in his head. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I’m sorry, i’m really sorry for the other things i said.” Remus said, Janus shook his head, “It’s fine… i’m sorry too. I really messed some stuff up.” Remus gave a small smile, then placed a kiss on top of Janus’ head, “I think we both did, but it’ll be okay. We can talk things out, right?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus let out a small sigh, leaning back against Remus’ chest, “Yeah, we can. You sure you still want this tainted mess in front of you?” Remus placed a kiss on the top of his head, “You’re not tainted,” And then he laughed softly, addressing the question, “But yeah, of course i do. Are you sure you want </span><em><span>this </span></em><span>chaotic mess?” Janus smiled up at him before going to hide his face away once more, “Absolutely.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>--</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It was a few days later when Remus came into the sleeping quarters and pulled Janus up off of his bed, “Remus? Hey, i’m tired.” Janus huffed. Remus smiled brightly, “But i have a surprise for you!” They had talked, a lot, and had reached a settled place in their relationship once more, even if Remus couldn't help himself yearning for more. But he could accept this, after everything, both of them opening up to each other about their parents and talking through their problems, Janus deserved some balance instead of Remus continuously confusing him.  </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus quirked up an eyebrow, “A surprise?” Remus nodded rapidly, taking Janus’ hand into his own, “Come on!” He pulled Janus along, taking them outside and onto the deck of the ship. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What kind of surprise is this?” Janus asked suspiciously. “Nothing weird, it’ll be amazing, i swear. Okay, close your eyes.” Janus pursed his lips, “Give me one good reason i should do that.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“For the surprise!” Remus huffed playfully, “Do you not know how a surprise works?” Janus sighed, “Fine, but if i sense anything weird going on, i’m pulling out my dagger.” He threatened. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Despite agreeing to close his eyes, Remus came up behind him and covered his eyes anyways. They walked forward a bit more, then, for some reason, Remus tilted his head upwards. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You ready?” Remus asked. “Uhm, sure, i guess?” Janus replied, unsure. He didn’t really do surprises. Only the attack kind, and that was never fun. Remus removed his hands and Janus opened up his eyes, blinking a few times to adjust.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He didn’t understand what he was looking at at first, until he noticed the </span><em><span>sky.</span></em><span> Countless bright stars were scattered across it, swirling colours mixed into the darkness of the night, the moon shining brightly, it was… breathtaking. His breath actually did hitch in his throat, as he stared into the beautiful night. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He barely even noticed as Remus tugged him down to the ground to sit, gaze still locked onto the never ending sky above. Remus couldn’t stop himself smiling if he tried, not that he wanted too, why would he at that sight. Janus was completely entranced, just like he’d hoped. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>With the running all of his life, it was a good bet Janus had never gotten the chance to see the night like this. Even Remus, having seen it many times before, still dazzled at the enchanting beauty overhead. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>But Janus was more beautiful, his eyes were practically sparkling, shining in the moonlight, and he just looked so amazed, like for once, he had no other worries in the world. Remus couldn’t think of anything better than taking away all that weight on his shoulders. He put an arm around Janus’ waist, finally recapturing the attention of the other.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus looked at him, momentarily caught off guard, but he soon relaxed into the hold. He gently laid his head on Remus’ shoulder, settling for the view of the moon shine on the ocean water while his neck took a break from looking up. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Thank you, for this.” He said, the quiet volume of his voice matching the air of the night. Remus had made sure there was at least one lantern lit out there so it wasn’t completely dark, but it felt like there was a need to be quiet as the world settled around them. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Remus looked up himself, it was truly magnificent. “Yes. Really… thank you.” Janus replied. Remus chuckled lightly, “You don’t have to thank me, you deserve to see it.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus shifted slightly, not moving away, onto lifting his head and turning it, Remus did the same so they were facing each other. They were close. Like really close. Both noticed, Janus going pink while Remus gave him a small smile, “You can move, if you want.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>To his surprise, Janus didn’t move an inch. Instead, he locked his eyes onto Remus’, it sort of felt like he was staring right into his soul, maybe unsettling for a normal person, but Remus wasn’t normal, he enjoyed it. But it was unusual for Janus to do.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Janus?” He asked, voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. Janus’ continued to stare at him for a moment, “I…” He didn’t seem to have any other words, it looked like something was running through his mind. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What is it?” Remus asked, was something wrong? He hoped not, it had been going so well so far.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“... I think i want to kiss you.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>That was the last thing Remus had expected to hear. Maybe ever. His mouth hung open silently while he processed the words. He seemed to take too long however, as Janus began second guessing himself.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Do you… not like me anymore? Or--” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“No, no, of course, i still… fuck, i still like you so, so much. I still think about you all the time and i don’t think i’ll ever stop. I’ll never stop thinking about how adorable you look in a hat that literally no one else looks good in, or how amazing your scales and snake eye are, i would love to touch them, just run my hand over them, or how beautiful your face is, or how incredible it is you still look cute when your face is all scrunched up or pissed off. You even looked pretty while you were </span><em><span>crying</span></em><span>, who the hell looks pretty crying? God, everything about you is so shit-fucking-tastic! And i really, really like you.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>That’s when he couldn’t wait any longer, and their lips connected surprisingly softly. It was sweet and full of longing, so much waiting and denial, months of up and down, but they were finally there, finally melting into a perfect first kiss under the stars. </span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hahahahahahaaahahahaahahahahah<br/>so<br/>this was a fucking angst fest<br/>but....</p><p>KISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS- AWE THE GAYBIES, THEY DID IT, ARE YOU PROUD OF THEM? I'M PROUD OF THEM- THEY STILL HAVE DEVELOPTMENT IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND PROBLEMS TO FIGURE OUT BUT THEY'LL GET THERE AND AAAAA-<br/>2 down, 2 to go! &lt;3 (slowburn is a nightmare haahah kill me)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0046"><h2>46. Unforgivable</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Roman and Patton don't know how to deal with the shock from Remus' words. Janus and Virgil have a ✨bro talk✨</p><p>Warnings: Panic attack, lots of mention of death-</p><p>Also, the first part of this chapter is right after Remus left, and the second part is back to a few days after, i know the time jump is annoying i'm sorryyyy-</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>The door slammed shut, Remus had run and Remy and Janus had both followed him. They could hear Remy calling out to him, but the voice soon faded away, leaving empty silence behind. The air was tense and growing horrified as the words sunk in. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><em><span>Parents. Inhumane. Take the lives of mine. Mine. Parents. Inhumane. Take. Lives. Murdered. </span></em><b><em>Murdered.</em></b><b><em> RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><span>“No… no no no, he…. H-he c-c-cant be s-serious…” Patton’s stuttery voice echoed around the silence. No one else said a thing, no one else could think of anything to even say in the first place.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Patton’s brain felt like it was about to implode, he hugged himself tightly, Remus’ words ringing in his ears, </span><em><span>Parents. Inhumane. Take the lives of mine. </span></em><b><em>Murdered.</em></b><span>  it </span><em><span>couldn’t</span></em><span> be true, it </span><em><span>couldn’t.</span></em><span> It couldn’t, it</span><em><span> couldn't,</span></em><span> it </span><b><em>couldn’t</em></b><span>!</span><b><em><br/>
</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><span>They wouldn’t. Surely, no one… </span><em><span>no one </span></em><span>would do that, would they?. </span><em><span>Parents. Inhumane. </span></em><b><em>No</em></b><span>! There… there had to be some kind of</span><em><span> mistake</span></em><span>.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span> <em><span>Took the lives of mine</span></em><span>. No, </span><em><span>no</span></em><span>! His parents… they had killed people, he knew that, as much as he wished he didn’t.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>But… but only bad people. Really, really bad people. People… who had done unforgivable things, right? No one… no one innocent. Not over a </span><em><span>loaf of bread</span></em><span>. No. It couldn’t be true. It must have been a mistake, Remus </span><em><span>had</span></em><span> to be wrong. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>...</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><b><em>“MURDERED MINE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!” </em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><span>It was so loud, so full of hurt, undoable pain and torment, Patton saw the look on his face, the tears in his eyes, the shake of his body, there was no way… no way Remus wasn’t telling the truth. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He’d been in too much pain, too</span><em><span> broken</span></em><span> to be lying, or for it to be any kind of mistake, you could almost see the horror in his eyes. It had happened. But… Patton gripped himself tighter, desperately searching his brain for any kind of excuse or reasoning. There was nothing.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><b><em>Murdered. Murderers, Murderers, Murderers, Murderers, Murderers, Murderers… They’re Murderers.</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><span>The word kept whispering inside his brain over and over like a broken record, </span><em><span>murder, murder, murder, </span></em><b><em>MURDER. </em></b><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“NO! No no no, no…” He choked out a sob, briefly caught off guard by the presence of tears, heavy as they poured down his face. Not that he cared in the moment, even as they drowned him. </span><em><span>Why?</span></em><span> Why would they… do that? Why would </span><em><span>anyone</span></em><span> do that? Such a small thing, all they needed was a small bit of food so they could </span><em><span>survive</span></em><span>. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Yet, it didn’t end up mattering, their lives harshly ripped away from them, because of </span><em><span>a loaf of bread.</span></em><span> It was unbelievable to him, </span><em><span>how</span></em><span> could anyone do such a thing? How could </span><em><span>his parents</span></em><span> do such a thing? </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>How could they order that? How could they stand by and watch the life drain out of someone’s eyes? How could they </span><em><span>make their son watch</span></em><span>? It was so cruel and twisted, so… </span><em><span>inhumane</span></em><span>. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>The door swung open and Remy re-entered, face full of concern. His breaths were still a little heavy, silent for a moment as he stood in the doorway.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“I… know that was probably a lot for you guys to hear…” He said quietly, unsure of what else to say.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“</span><em><span>Probably?</span></em><span>” Emile echoed incredulously. Remy winced, “Alright, it was… </span><em><span>awful,</span></em><span> i know, i was horrified when he first told me too. I… didn’t know what to say.” He remembered it as clear as day, that moment when he saw the broken look on Remus’ face, they hadn’t been any more than subtle friends back then but he was all Remus had. He sighed, “I hope he’s going to be okay…” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He glanced around the room, catching a look at Patton, who was visibly in distress, “Patton…?” Patton barely heard him, he’d slumped to the ground, his legs failing him, he couldn’t, he just couldn’t process this. </span><em><span>It happened. </span></em><b><em>It couldn't!</em></b><em><span> It did. Murderers. </span></em><b><em>No! They wouldn’t.... </em></b><em><span>They fucking killed someone’s parents over a loaf of bread.</span></em><em><span><br/>
</span></em><em><span><br/>
</span></em><em><span>... </span></em><b><em>I’m sorry.</em></b><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Roman wasn’t doing much better. He felt numb and cold, mind frozen, one minute he and Remus were just bickering, not unusual for him to be bickering with someone, then all of a sudden anger came out of nowhere, from both of them, and… Remus said </span><em><span>that. </span></em><span>The words hit him like a truck, seizing up his brain.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Roman replayed the entire fight over in his head. He knew his parents weren’t innocent, really. He didn’t know they were </span><em><span>that</span></em><span> bad, though. That was… he didn’t even have a word to describe it, it was dreadful, he could see it on Remus’ face. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>His parents had always been… tricky people. He tended to argue against them alot, he’d often been called bratty, but he just didn’t agree with a lot of the things they did and said. Especially when he had been told he was to marry Patton with no say in it </span><em><span>at all,</span></em><span> it was unfair. But it never got him anywhere, he only got yelled at and then ignored, his parents doing what they wanted anyways. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He wasn’t aware of how many people they sentenced to death until he went into the world of the criminals himself, nor was he aware how much it changed you when you actually saw those people there in those cells, awaiting their death day with misery. That’s why he rescued Virgil in the first place, it didn’t feel right to let him die, not when he hadn’t done anything worthy of death. He would of thought everyone saw things that way. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>But it was clear his parents didn’t care about that. If they would go so far as to kill some people over stealing </span><em><span>one</span></em><span> loaf of bread, they were worse than he thought, than he could of ever imagined, than he wanted to believe. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>It hurt, he realised, it hurt to know the people he called his parents would do such a thing. It sort of felt like betrayal, like they’d been hiding an entire second life from him, a life of cruel fiends who did things like </span><em><span>this.</span></em><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>To any outsider, they would of course seem like heinous monsters, but to Roman, he was picturing his parents, they may not of done all that much in actually raising him, but they were the people he was supposed to look up to and trust the most. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>It was two conflicting views coming together at once, he knew the truth but it was heartbreaking to have to think about it. He took in a sharp breath, he needed to leave. He didn’t even bother looking up, not even noticing Patton’s own situation as he pushed past Remy and out the door.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Is there a reason there is so much noise coming from this side of the boat--” Logan cut himself off when he opened the door and saw the scene inside. Patton was in the midst of some sort of panic attack, Remy crouched on the ground next to him desperately trying to calm him while Emile stood, still as a statue, across the room. </span></p><p><br/>
<span>“What on earth happened here?” He asked, staring at the scene with wide eyes. Remy looked up at him, “Logan? Shit i-- it’s a long story, i really don’t have the time right now--” He turned back to Patton, “Patton, Patton </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span> calm down.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“No </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Patton gripped at his hair, tears running down his face, breath jagged and struggling. Logan snapped himself out of his own shock, slowly making his way over. He steadily bent down in front of Patton, making sure to keep his voice soft, “Patton? Can you hear me?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>There was no sign of a response, so he gently placed his hand overtop of Patton’s, and when Patton didn’t  freak out at the gesture, he pulled it away from his hair and took it, “I need you to try and follow my breathing, okay?” He placed the hand against his chest.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Patton’s tears started to slow slightly, the other hand still in his hair loosening, and after a moment he started attempting to breathe in the same pattern as Logan. His breath hitched a few times, causing him to choke out another sob or curl up even further, but he eventually got there, breaths evening out and his head starting to clear.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Logan let go of his hand, Patton offered him a weak smile, “Thank you…” he uncurled himself, wiping away the few remaining tears from his eyes with his sleeve, Logan nodded, then stood and spoke, “Now, could anyone explain to me what happened here?” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>--</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Janus hummed as he flipped through the pages of the power magicks book they had gotten, he was nowhere near as interested as Logan but he had found himself bored so, why not? He was learning a few new things anyways.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The door pushed open, a familiar voice following, “Hey Jan.” He looked up to see Virgil standing there, “I heard what happened with Remus.” Those words made Janus freeze, did he mean… the whole… kissing… thing? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh god.</span>
  </em>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You did..?” He asked apprehensively, Virgil nodded, “Yeah, so, uh, how’d it go?” Janus cleared his throat awkwardly, “Uh…” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>What was he even meant to say to that!? It was… sort of weird for Virgil to ask. He would of expected him to just go ‘Ew’ or something. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I mean, it must have been pretty bad for Remus to freak out like that.” Then it finally clicked that Virgil was talking about Remus erupting about his parents, not the kiss. “OH! Oh, right, yes, that. Uhm… well yeah, it was pretty bad.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Virgil raised an eyebrow suspiciously, and Janus avoided his gaze, looking at the ground, he could lie for days but it was always difficult with Virgil. Luckily Virgil dropped it, looking down himself and sighing, “Patton told me what he said… that’s… wow.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Janus slowly nodded, “Yeah it’s… it’s really bad. I don’t know how Remus lives with that.” Virgil gave a dry laugh, “You say that like you haven’t seen some seriously fucked up shit yourself.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I’ve never seen anyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span>, especially not someone i cared about so much.” Virgil hummed, “Yeah, i guess…” He sat down next to Janus, “How did you even manage to calm him down?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Janus took a sharp inhale of breath, “I…” He could tell Virgil the full story, but… he didn’t really want to, after all it wasn’t exactly fun and the whole thing felt sort of like a private situation between him and Remus, “It was a lot, but i guess he got it all out of his system, not that i can blame him at all for exploding like that.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Virgil nodded, “Yeah, i guess it’s sort of understandable after all that traumatic shit…” He murmured, trailing off and leaving things silent. Janus placed down the book beside him, then turned to Virgil, “What is it?” He asked, he could tell there was something else on Virgil’s mind. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Virgil took in a breath, “It’s just… you knew about it, right? You knew before?” He asked. “Yeah, i did, why do you ask?” Janus replied, slightly puzzled at the question. There was another pause before, “Did you… did you tell him about… you know?” Virgil asked, voice quiet and somewhat nervous. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“What?” Janus shook his head, “Virgil, no, i didn’t, it’s okay. I wouldn’t just go around telling people that stuff, you know that.” Janus said, Virgil let out the breath he’d been holding. “Yeah, i know, but i thought… if he opened up to you, you might open up to him.” He shrugged, fiddling with his sleeves as his gaze fell to his lap. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Janus placed his hand on top of Virgil’s, “Hey, all of that stuff involves you too, it wouldn’t be right to tell people if you weren’t okay with it. I… i’m not going to say i didn’t tell him anything, but i never said… about… that. I mean, he already knows about my scales, i wasn’t exactly thinking right then though.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Virgil squeezed his hand, “Yeah, i know, but that part is your business anyways… but thank you, for not telling him… the other stuff.” Janus gave a small smile, then pulled Virgil into a hug. Virgil hugged back tightly, a comfortable silence falling over them.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>After a minute, Virgil pulled back, “Hey Jan..?” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Yeah?” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Virgil shuffled back slightly, “I know you hate him, but… i think it’s time i try to apologize to Roman. He’s been pretty much completely isolating himself for the past few days after that whole thing with Remus and i just…” Janus sighed, “I know. He’s an absolute </span>
  <em>
    <span>twat</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but i get it.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I just… where do i even </span>
  <em>
    <span>start</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Virgil asked, leaning back on his chair. Janus hummed, “Well, what did you say to Patton when you apologized to him?” Virgil shrugged, “I just… apologized, i took Logan’s advice and i told him that i didn’t just expect immediate forgiveness, and he accepted it.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Well, what was Logan’s advice?” Janus asked. “Uh… don’t be an ass?” Virgil offered. Janus laughed, rolling his eyes, “Okay, okay,” Virgil snickered, “But seriously Vi.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“He said to give a reason and explain, apologize, and don’t expect to be automatically forgiven. And… to mean it.” Janus nodded slowly, “Well, okay yeah that makes sense. Can’t say i’ve apologized much in my life but that seems about right.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“But there’s just… so…</span>
  <em>
    <span> so</span>
  </em>
  <span> much! Where do i even begin? Do i just rant on about everything i'm sorry for and hope it's enough? What if it isn’t enough?!” Virgil asked, growing more frantic as he went on, “Woah, calm down!” Janus said, placing his hands on Virgil’s shoulders, “Hey, listen.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Virgil bit his lip, looking at his older brother. “If you want to apologize, then do it, do whatever you feel like you need to say to him, but you can’t control what he says or does back. You have to accept the fact that he could react in any way and you’ll just have to accept it.” </span>
  <span></span><br/>

  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Virgil nodded, letting out a sigh, “Yeah, yeah your right… yeah okay. Alright. Thanks, Jan.” Janus smiled at him, “What are big brothers for?” Virgil gave a smile back, then looked over at the doorway, “Alright. Let’s do this, i guess.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>HERUUEF *SCREAMS* im sorry it took so long AAAAAAAA-<br/>writing this was so hard, all of the last several chapters have been difficult since they've mostly been pretty slow paced, but were building up to big plot point i SWEAR- its the plot point that leads to the ending actually so- overall it's probably gonna be like 55 chapters or smthn, aaaaa- god theres so much to reveal in the ending its so long and complicated lmao- i got more reveals, i gotta tell the rest of Janus and Virgil's backstory, i gotta deal with King worst 1 and King worst 2 and their dumb fucking wives- AAAAA- okay im gonna go to bed </p><p>toodles noodles &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0047"><h2>47. Apologies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's finally time Virgil talks to Roman and tries to apologize and clear up their complicated relationship. It... doesn't quite go as expected.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Hey Logan, i’ve been wondering about something?” Logan looked up from his book at the sound of Thomas’ voice, he hadn’t been around too much, he mostly just kept to himself, despite being friendly with them all, he wasn’t one to get himself into much danger and so he didn’t want to get too involved with this group’s whole thing. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Yes, Thomas?” Thomas placed a map down on the table Logan was sat at, “Well, i was just wondering, do you think we could stop by Falcon Crest? I actually know some people there and they’ll probably be able to help me get back to my home town.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Logan hummed, looking at the map, “Yes, that should be fine. Although i imagine you’ll be missed, there are some people here who get easily attatched.” Thomas laughed, “That’s sweet,” He smiled, “But i gotta get back home. Besides, you guys are going to the next region along, right? Your almost done.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Logan blinked, scanning over the map again, “You… your right, i hadn’t noticed how close we’d gotten.” Thomas shrugged with another smile, “Well, that’s good, right? I can’t imagine being on this ship for so long has been fun.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Logan furrowed his brows, studying the map. It felt sort of strange to know how close they were getting. Soon enough, they’d have to figure out what they actually were going to do. Considering the more recent events, he wasn’t interested in the others romantic relationships but it did change things, he wasn’t sure what would happen. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>They wouldn’t want to split, but the idea of keeping up the run for the rest of their lives didn’t sound pleasant either. “Logan?” Thomas’ thoughts shook him out of his thoughts. “Ah, yes, sorry. Yes, we will make a stop at Falcon Crest.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Thomas nodded, “Great. For what it’s worth,  it’s been pretty fun traveling with you guys, you're a pretty interesting bunch.” Logan grit his teeth, that was one way to put it. Thomas waved him off and left, leaving the map behind. Logan stared at it for a moment longer, time had really gone fast. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He found it strange that nothing eventful had happened in a while, after all, with so many people and resources at their hands it was bizarre neither of the two large kingdoms after them had caught up or made many moves. He brushed it off, maybe they were really just outsmarting the lot. That was amusing, at least, to think about how many people couldn’t find one group of people on one ship. He sighed and went back to his book, minus Patton’s arm, they’d done remarkably well. He didn’t believe in luck, but they really had been lucky to avoid any major disasters going on, hadn’t they?</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p><span><br/></span><span>Virgil stood outside the closet room door, he knew Roman was in there, he’d checked every other place on the ship. Honestly, he was surprised, even when upset, Roman didn’t seem like the type to go find somewhere small to hide, yet here he was. Roman always seemed like the dramatic type, no matter the situation, but apparently Virgil was wrong.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He bit his lip, tugging on his sleeves and gloves, glancing around to check no one else was there. You know, just in case, it was a private conversation after all, he was just checking! Okay, so maybe he was procrastinating a little. Just a little. Alright! So maybe he’d been standing there for like, ten minutes. It wasn’t exactly an easy conversation to have, you know!</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He sighed to himself, he pulled up the hood on the back of his jacket and took in a deep breath. Honestly, Roman had been dead silent that entire time and Virgil was starting to think he was dead. So anyways all he was really doing was finding a body so there wasn’t too much to worry about. </span><em><span>Well that’s not morbid at all, Virgil.</span></em><span> He internally cursed, why did talking people and also</span><em><span> thinking</span></em><span> about talking to people have to be so damn difficult!?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He’d been standing there too long, he forced himself to push forward, the door to the small closet creaking open as the light flooded into the dark room. It really was dark inside, </span><em><span>wow, Roman is going for small space and darkness, full angsty mode, huh? </span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Roman…?” His voice echoed around the dark almost empty room. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He heard a sigh, “What, needed the closet for your own dark brooding?” The voice was clearly annoyed, yet also exhausted and with a slight crack at the beginning. Virgil bit back the remark coming up his throat, it was automatic at that point, but now wasn’t the time for bickering. It certainly wouldn’t be the playful back and forth they had before, but only the bitter arguments that came out of too much pride and defensiveness.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He tried to get himself to be honest, it was what he needed to do, “Roman… we… we need to talk about this. We can’t just… keep going on ignoring and hating each other.” He took a step into the room, jumping when Roman suddenly came into view. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Oh, and what changed your mind?” Roman asked, glaring as he crossed his arms over his chest. Virgil sighed, Roman had every right to be defensive after all, Virgil just had to stop himself from pushing back due to his own fear of vulnerability, “This isn’t fair, or good, it’s just shit, for both of us. I should of apologized sooner, but i was being an ass about it.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman’s look harderned, “Yeah, you were being an ass. What, did Logan make you apologize or something?” Virgil’s expression grew confused, “Logan? I mean, he gave me some advice but--”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span> Roman scoffed, “I can’t believe this, he’s supposed to be my best friend you know, but </span><em><span>no</span></em><span>, i didn’t even think the nerd cared about that shit, but i guess i was </span><em><span>wrong.</span></em><span> Don’t get me wrong, i’m </span><em><span>thrilled</span></em><span> for you too though.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil, however, was completely lost. “What are you </span><em><span>talking</span></em><span> about?” Roman rolled his eyes, “What, is it a secret or something? Is there a need to bother when you two are cuddling up to each other like that where anyone can see?”  </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Like </span><em><span>what?</span></em><span> What the hell are you talking about? There is literally nothing going on with me and Logan, dude.” Virgil shot, a mix of bewilderment and annoyance in his tone, why wasn’t Roman listening to him? And where the hell did he get </span><em><span>this</span></em><span> idea from?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman raised an eyebrow, “Really?” He asked sourly. Virgil nodded, “Uh, yeah. Pretty fucking sure.” He spat back. Why was Roman suddenly interrogating him about Logan? He was beyond confused and unhappy at the sudden accusations, since when did Roman even care about Virgil’s personal life? Roman paused for a good minute, Virgil watched as the realization dawned in his eyes. “...Oh.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“</span><em><span>Oh.</span></em><span>” Virgil echoed, shooting a glare. Roman huffed, “Well it’s not my fault! It’s been a hard few days, excuse </span><em><span>me</span></em><span> for jumping to a conclusion!” Virgil shook his head, gritting his teeth, "You're not supposed to jump to conclusions! God, i- okay, listen. I didn't come here to start another fight so we both need to calm down.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He sighed, hearing a sigh from Roman as well as they both attempted to bite their tongues,  then he turned around to the door, “Let’s get out of here first, it’s dark as musty as hell.” There was a small snicker at that, at least. Roman followed Virgil out of the room as shut the door behind them. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It remained silent for another moment, neither of them sure what to say. It had been weeks and weeks off arguing and refusing to even be in the same room or look at each other. Maybe they were both a little overdramatic about it all, but it had felt like some sort of unspoken war to both of them, like if they stopped or </span><em><span>didn’t</span></em><span> go against each other, they would lose. It didn’t make sense and was overall stupid when you thought about it, but caught up in themselves neither of them really did. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“So?” Roman said suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Virgil blinked up at him confused, “What?” He questioned. Roman rolled his eyes, “You said you were gonna apologize.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Oh. Right, yeah.” Virgil cleared his throat, this was more awkward than he’d expected. “Uhm.. i’m sorry. For… being a dick. Uh, for saying the stuff i said, for… yelling and getting angry when i didn’t need to. I’m sorry for turning everything into an argument when we could of just been having normal conversations, too… that was, yeah that was dickish of me.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman sighed, “Yeah.” Virgil slowly nodded, “Yep… and i was using a sore subject against you, because everytime you said anything that could make me even a little bit vulnerable, i had to go and turn it back on you.” Roman blinked a few times, Virgil’s tone slowly turning from unsure to serious and somewhat upset.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“And i never apologized, because i thought that would make me vulnerable too. Even though there were so many times we could of made up before this, i couldn’t stop thinking about myself and i didn’t think about you.” Roman watched, arms slowly falling to his sides as Virgil went from an awkward apology to… what sounded like a disheartened confession. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I’m sorry that i kept losing my anger and i couldn’t drop my pride for two seconds just to let you say one damn thing without me challenging it. I’m sorry that i kept getting defensive over nothing. I’m sorry that when i was stressed i took it out on you, and the others, through being a total asshole because i can’t fucking deal with my stress any other way apparently. I’m sorry i’m like this, i don’t want to be.” Virgil snapped, but it wasn’t at Roman, like he was snapping at himself. He wrapped his arms around himself, a choke in his voice, “but i guess… i guess they do say like-father like-son, huh?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Virgil--” Roman cut himself off, frozen in shock at the sight of tears gathering in Virgil’s eyes. He had no idea how to react to this. It had switched gears so fast, what was he supposed to say? It was so unlike Virgil, especially since he had just compared himself to someone Roman could see he had nothing but pure hate for. “Virgil… i may not know the whole story, but just from context, i know that there is no way you’re as bad as that fiend.” He took a few cautious steps forward, unsure if he should try physical comfort, or if he was even the person to be trying to help Virgil right then. But Virgil did open up to him, whether it was intentional or not, it seemed like something he’d had on his mind for a while and a part of him must of felt like Roman was trustworthy enough to tell. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil quickly wiped at his eyes and turned away, “Don’t- I don’t do crying, so just drop it.” He mumbled. “Everyone cries, Virge.” Roman said, surprised by the gentleness of his own voice. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Think i cried enough to last me a lifetime between the ages of being born and ten. Ten years of tears is pretty decent, princey.” Despite his tone, there was a crack in Virgil’s voice. Roman didn’t miss the use of an old nickname, probably an automatic defense mechanism. He sighed, “Alright, well, you have a good point. But i don’t think the human body has a limit, i’ve cried enough for five lifetimes, and mostly over random stupid crap.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>There was a small, dry chuckle at that at least. Roman wondered how this had turned from Virgil apologizing to him to him trying to comfort Virgil, but their relationship always seemed to be a little up and down like that, even their dislike for each other was never that consistent. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I’m sorry, i really am. I was such a dick.” Virgil murmured, leaning his back against the wall. “I was rude too, you know. I should also be apologizing.” Roman said, standing beside the other, “Especially for that whole Logan thing right then.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil snorted, “Yeah, that was just stupid. What were you even going on about anyways?” Roman pursed his lips, “I… walked in on you guys hugging. And i jumped to a conclusion, sue me!” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil laughed, “That’s such a </span><em><span>you</span></em><span> thing to do. But seriously, why? Jealous or something, your royal highness?” He was joking, obviously, but Roman stilled. That was a good question. He replayed the memory in his mind, there was no obvious reason for him to think that, it was just a hug, people hug all the time. He was just… well, overthinking it, but… why?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Jealous…?” He echoed, mostly to himself. Virgil raised an eyebrow, “I was joking, Roman. Obviously you weren’t jealous, unless you really want a hug from Logan.” He snickered dryly at himself, the look on Roman’s face was enough to make him realize they weren’t joking anymore. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman didn’t even notice, having tuned Virgil out as he got lost in his own mind. Jealous… he wasn’t jealous over Logan, that was certain, he loved the other as a best friend but he didn’t have any worries about their friendship going anywhere. But… jealousy, it was anger, he was definitely a little pissed considering what happened with Remus right after, and it was also… a bit of sadness. He’d been the world’s saddest sack for days now, he might be overdoing it a little. But still… </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He looked up from his gaze on the ground and met Virgil’s eyes, why was he always stopping himself from thinking about how nice they were? This still didn’t add up. He didn’t… he’d hated Virgil’s guts for ages, and even when they had become friends, it didn’t last long before they were at each other's throats again. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Because that’s just how they were, right? They were practically polar opposites, they bickered and that was just… their thing. But it had gone too far, too many harsh words with harsh intent, it wasn’t just playful bickering, it turned into a real battle with each other. And… well, Roman didn’t want that. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>First of all, it was </span><em><span>exhausting.</span></em><span> It was hard to keep up a constant glare when someone was around or leave the room whenever they entered, and the insults felt more like a chore than an automatic response. Second, it was lonely. Slowly, it seemed like he just kept losing people, first he’d seen less of Patton and Logan when Virgil became their friend too, but then Virgil and him were fighting and he saw even </span><em><span>less</span></em><span> of them since the friends were split between them, then he had the disaster with Remus and even though he didn’t think he ever really wanted to be around Remus, it still only increased his loneliness. All the rooms he was in always felt so empty. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“--oman?” He was brought back to the present as Virgil waved a hand in front of his face. “You good there?” He asked, it was worded casually but he could see from Virgil’s face he was a little concerned. That was… kind of sweet. He was surprised Virgil even cared, but then again he was also surprised to find himself caring about Virgil, so maybe they were just… in a similar boat.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Ah… sorry. Spaced out.” He said quietly. Virgil said nothing for a moment, standing still in front of him with a blank expression before he finally spoke up, “Roman?” Roman looked up at the questioning call, “Hm?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Were you really worried about something? I mean, i don’t think i could convince Logan to stop being your friend if i tried, you're just like, a part of his life by now, ya know?” Roman shook his head, “No, no that’s not it.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He sighed, running a hand through his hair and he slid down the wall to the floor. “Then… what is it?” Virgil asked, steadily coming to sit beside him. Roman bit his lip, even he wasn’t sure, how was he supposed to explain it to Virgil? </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I don’t… know. My brain is confused.” He mumbled. It was normally the kind of thing that Virgil would chuckle at but it didn’t feel like the right time to laugh. “Confused?” He echoed. Roman slowly nodded, “Yeah. You mentioned jealousy and i just… i don’t know. I guess i’ve never really felt proper jealousy before, just dumb petty stuff. I’m not sure.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Okay, and…?” Virgil gestured for him to continue. “I… well, i know it’s not over Logan. So that leaves… you. But that doesn’t quite add up. Last time i checked that wasn’t really our dynamic.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>There was a pause, Roman kept his eyes locked on the ceiling instead of looking down, he didn’t feel like looking at Virgil right then anyways, god knows what the reaction would be to those words. Roman wasn’t even sure what he was saying, but it was coming from somewhere inside of him and he might as well say it. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“... Me? Yeah, you’re right that doesn’t add up. Explanation?" </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman shrugged, “Haven’t really got one, as i said, my brain is confused. I don’t… like you. But i do, but i don’t, but i </span><em><span>do </span></em><span>but not like that? I like… your humor, it’s not exactly the same as mine but it’s still funny. I like your snarkiness, when it’s not directed at me. I like your awkwardness, you can go from being confident one second to being a mess the next and it’s sort of adorable.” He smiled to himself, words flowing out without him even having to try, “And even though you rarely smile, that isn’t a smirk, it’s nice when you do. You look like for once the weight of the world isn’t on your shoulders. Plus your eyes, i know they're not what you were born with but you really suit them, they’re bright and glossy, and when you do smile, it makes you look happy and full of life.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>There was a long silence after that. Roman couldn’t believe himself for saying half those things, where did they even come from? Had he just been… picking them up over time? They all came out so naturally. But they all sounded like things you say to someone you liked and… he didn’t like Virgil, he would of known, would of noticed, wouldn’t of said any of those nasty things to him, because you don’t </span><em><span>say</span></em><span> things like that to someone you like. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You… you mean that?” Virgil sounded so hesitant, Roman </span><em><span>had </span></em><span>to move his eyes from the ceiling to look at the younger man. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out for a good minute until, “...Yeah, i guess i did.” He breathed out. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil looked like he’d just been told something completely unbelievable, but maybe it was pretty unbelievable to him, Roman couldn’t imagine he’d exactly had a life full of compliments after all. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Even… even after all that shit i said?” Virgil asked, a trace of nervousness behind the hesitance. Roman furrowed his brows, “I said shit too, Virgil, i think at this point our entire relationship is just really fucked up. Literally, it’s more fucked up than Janus and Remus, how is that possible?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil laughed quietly at that, “I guess so… although i guess there is some sort of comfort to having a fucked up relationship you </span><em><span>know</span></em><span> is fucked up.” Roman hummed, “I suppose. Didn’t expect it to be us though. Like seriously, we all thought it was going to be Janus and Remus.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil slid over to him, chuckling, “Yeah… but really, you meant that shit? When did you start thinking about that crap?” Roman shrugged, “Not a clue.” He looked down to his lap, “You… ever have thoughts like that?” He asked. Virgil went quiet, fiddling with his sleeves.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I won’t be offended you know, i don’t think i even have the energy to be offended, i’ve barely slept for the last week.” Roman murmured. Virgil shook his head, “No… it’s just, well, yeah. Kinda hard not too Roman, you hit like, </span><em><span>all</span></em><span> the attractiveness boxes. Although i did help you out with that hair and eyes. But that just came to me, because for some reason i’d been looking at you so much i just knew it would suit you, despite the fact back then we still didn’t trust each other. Pretty fucked up.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman turned his body to face Virgil’s with a smirk, “Oh, staring, were we? And what are those boxes i check so well, my dark and stormy knight?” Virgil rolled his eyes with a smile, “Oh you know, the mocha skin, the </span><em><span>dazzling</span></em><span> emerald eyes, </span><em><span>glossy</span></em><span> deep red hair, a nice </span><em><span>strong</span></em><span> jaw, broad shoulders, need i go on?” Virgil was obviously messing around with the playful flirty tone of his voice, but deep down Roman thought he might actually be thinking some of it. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>And suddenly his mind was laser focused on Virgil, doing the same, thinking about everything about him, his face with his pale skin and the few freckles Roman had never really noticed, the way his hair covered half of his eyes but you could still see the perfect light colours, how he wasn’t the most muscular built but he wasn’t softly built either, sort of weird between. And the fact that he had a little button nose and really soft looking pale pink lips.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span> ...Well that certainly wasn’t the kind of thoughts you have about someone you don’t like.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>If he had had more sleep, he probably would of left, maybe gone back into the closet or upstairs and rethought his entire existence, but he hadn’t slept, he was basically sleep-drunk. And besides, hadn’t they just agreed their entire relationship was fucked up? So instead, he threw rational thoughts out the window and he cupped Virgil’s jaw with his hand. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil froze, staring at him with wide eyes “Wh- what are you doing...?” Roman wasn’t entirely sure either, “You’ve never kissed anyone before, right? You aren’t waiting on someone, are you?” Virgil almost laughed at that, “Waiting on someone? Not that i can think of princey, why--?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil’s entire brain almost shut down when his face was pulled forward and Roman’s lips captured his. It took him far too long to process it but Roman didn’t let go or pull back, and after a quick inhale of breath, Virgil was kissing back. He had no idea where it came from but he just </span><em><span>was</span></em><span>, he’d never kissed anyone before and he was probably shit at it but Roman didn’t seem to care.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It felt strange, not very romantic in all honesty, sort of like he was drowning but in the best way possible, or burning but also in the best way possible, if that made sense. It probably didn’t. But Virgil didn’t care. Roman wasn’t exactly experienced either, one pathetic small experimental kiss, but it was like some part of his brain knew what to do anyways. Like an instinct, an instinct that only kicked in when he was </span><em><span>kissing Virgil.</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He put his arms around the other's waist and dragged him forward, he needed Virgil </span><em><span>closer, </span></em><span>even if he didn’t know why. Virgil didn’t seem to object however, they were both so lost in the moment. All of sudden Virgil was straddling him, not that he really minded, he kept kissing enthusiastically even if he didn’t know where his enthusiasm had even come from. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman’s hands were warm as they slid under Virgil’s shirt, despite it, Virgil still shivered, his brain threatening to bring him out of the blissful moment. But he didn’t want to, he wanted to keep kissing Roman, it melted all of his troubles away, gave him a bubbling feeling in his stomach but it was </span><em><span>good.</span></em><span> He’d never even thought of it before, well, maybe it crossed his mind for a second when Roman had pinned him down before, but not really, because it seemed so absurd.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Yet they were there right now, practically unable to pull away from each other apart from for labored breaths, like all of their hate and sorrow and any other emotion they’d felt towards or because of each other since they first met was melting into their kisses. It was one way to deal with all of it, kissing each other senseless. Perhaps not the best coping mechanism, but they could talk after, right then, neither of them had any plans to pull away.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It didn’t feel like drowning anymore, but it definitely felt like a burn, psychically it was warm considering body heat and all, but the adrenaline rush and excitement filled them both, making it even more warm and burning. God knows what you were supposed to feel like when you're kissing someone for the first time, Virgil felt like he was feeling all of the cliches people rambled about yet his own personal one of a kind experience all at the same time. All he really knew was how breathtaking it was and how… god, he couldn’t even think of another adjective right then, his brain was too focused on Roman, Roman’s lips and Roman’s breaths and </span><em><span>Roman.</span></em> <span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It felt like forever, not that either of them minded, it could last an eternity for all they cared, but it finally came to a halt when Roman bit Virgil’s lower lip and Virgil pulled back, although he was still giggling, face lit up like a christmas tree. He managed to splutter out between excited adrenaline filled giggles, “You- you can’t</span><em><span> eat</span></em><span> me, i’m not a cupcake!” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman giggled with him, “But you </span><em><span>are</span></em><span> like a cupcake! A cute little purple one! Besides, it just sort of happened!” Virgil gave him another quick peck on the lips before leaning his head against Roman’s with a content sigh. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I feel kind of--” Roman cut himself off with a laugh, “Kind of… fuzzy and </span><em><span>purple.</span></em><span>” Virgil snickered, “You can’t feel </span><em><span>purple</span></em><span> Roman!” Roman shook his head, “But i do!” He briefly wondered if because of Virgil’s magicks, he left some sort of lingering magical kiss aura or something, or maybe he’d been kissing Virgil so much he had magically gained the ability to feel colours. Who knows?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>They both sat almost silently for a few minutes, the only sound being their breathing as they both came down from the high. Virgil slid off, voice returned to its normal low tone, “Should we've done that?” Roman spoke before he could even think, “Yes.” It was true, it felt amazing, despite the fact he had felt like he was on fire, he wasn’t thinking about anything but </span><em><span>Virgil,</span></em><span> and that was so much better. </span><em><span>So much better </span></em><span>than having to deal with the creeping loneliness and guilt he had been feeling for days.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil nodded to himself, “Yeah. Yeah, your right, it was good. Uh… i guess we have to talk about some stuff though.” Roman huffed, “Kissing is a better way to deal with things.” Virgil gave him a dopey smile, “Well, yeah, but if we don’t talk, things are gonna get messy fast. Things are already messy, i mean, we just made out for </span><em><span>god</span></em><span> knows how long on the </span><em><span>floor</span></em><span>.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Your right, my ass hurts from these hard floorboards. Next time we make out on a bed or something.” Roman said. Virgil raised an eyebrow, “Next time, huh?” Roman changed his position to sit on his knees, another quick rush of excitement hitting him as he recalled the feeling from the kiss, “Well duh! It felt sort of like burning, but like good burning, like it was burning all my shitty problems and crap. It was just </span><em><span>you,</span></em><span> you were the only thing on my mind and nothing else could disturb it.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil blinked, “You felt that too? Huh.” Roman nodded, “Yeah! And i don’t think i’ve had an adrenaline rush that big like… ever.” Virgil giggled again, it was so uncanny coming from him but now he was hearing it, it was like music to Roman’s ears. Now he could allow himself to take in those things about Virgil without feeling like he had to cover it up with insults, he was just taking everything amazing about him in. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil clambered back over to him, and although faded, there was still a light shining in his eyes, “So… we’re gonna do something about this?” Roman took Virgil’s hand into his own, “Do something about this?” He repeated, slightly confused. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil nodded, leaning his back against the wall Roman had just been smushed against, “Yeah, like… ya know, this.” Roman blinked a few times, “Like, this, this?” Virgil nodded despite the fact they weren’t making any sense. Both of them turned out to be pretty sleep deprived, Roman because he was stressed and Virgil just because he had trouble sleeping. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Like, okay, sure there's a layer of attraction there or whatever, but what about actual feelings? I’ve never liked a person before, how am i supposed to do it??” Virgil asked, Roman smiling at the adorable confusion in his voice. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I don’t really know. You're supposed to get like, butterflies in your stomach or something, or be happy when you see them, or like, want to do stuff they like or be extra tolerable about them.” Roman shrugged. Virgil furrowed his brows, “I don’t think you're meant to have living creatures in your stomach.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman snickered, but it trailed off into a yawn. They both really needed some sleep. “But i guess there was a few times i got happy when i saw you, you kind of just light up a room like that, when you're not totally depressed that is.” Virgil added.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Gee, thanks.” Roman said, rolling his eyes, but still smiling anyways. “If i wasn’t being a dumb asshat to you this whole thing probably would of gone differently.” Virgil mumbled. Roman picked up Virgil’s hand and placed a kiss on it, “Same goes for me, you know, but maybe it’s time we left that behind.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I said some really crappy stuff, i know i hurt you.” Virgil said quietly. Roman scooted closer to him, pressing them together, “Maybe. But maybe i hurt you too, because words can hurt. But you're right, it’s not good for us to keep going like this, we need to leave it behind us.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil gave a small smile, "You're too nice, you know? Even when i was being a dick you tried to repair our friendship.” Roman hummed, “You were clearly having a bad time, i could tell just by your and Janus’ reactions that Dusk Town wasn’t somewhere you wanted to be even before you told us why. I wasn’t going to be a dick when you were clearly in a bad place.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil sighed, “See, you're too nice.” He huffed slightly, but there was barely any annoyance behind it. He leaned into Roman’s side, “But thank you. And i really am sorry, if you hadn’t of forgiven me i still would of accepted it.” He added quietly. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“That’s what makes you different, you're willing to accept what you’ve done wrong, regret your actions and don’t expect forgiveness. You’re good Virgil, i promise, not like him.” Roman said, despite his tiredness, he still remembered their earlier conversation and how upset Virgil had been about the subject even when trying to hide it. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He put an arm around the other, they could probably both fall asleep right there, they might even, or maybe they’d manage to drag themselves to bed. It was getting dark after all. But right then, they both closed their eyes and leaned into each other, just appreciating each other’s company. </span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*ScrEAMS* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA- okay- so we got 3/4, your welcome. Sorry i meant 3/3 not sure about this fourth one people keep talking about-- never even heard of 'logicality', lmao you guys are funny. ANYWAYS-</p><p>So... that happened. Lmao, i've never kissed anyone btw, i have virgin lips, but my beta reader said it was realistic which is what i was going for, i usually am with the exception of the fact this is a magic world lmao- but yeah- it was supposed to a little all over the place because both Roman and Virgil were messes and sleep deprived but they figured it out it's fine- </p><p>So, uh, that's that. Yep. Everything is lovely, and sweet, and theres no problems. Everyone is happy as can be and nothing is gonna change. At all, definitely. Nope, totally nothing at all is gonna change and nothing is gonna go wrong next chapter, everything is gonna be super duper totally tubular. </p><p>Yep.</p><p>Okay bye- Oh one last thing, i might be gone a little while, just because... i need to regain my sanity lmao and from the next chapter forward i kinda need to keep up a more consistent schedule so you guys dont, ya know, KILL ME- or die yourselves ik its hard when a fic takes forever to update-  idk how long i already took a week to post this and im sorryyyy but yeah- hopefully it wont be a super long time and i hope you guys enjoyed!</p><p>toodles noodles &lt;3 &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0048"><h2>48. Backstabber</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>MAJOR WARNINGS IN THE END NOTES! If you're sensitive, please check them out, i just don't wanna spoil it. AAAAAA-</p><p>Janus had an unfortunate day.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The searing, sharp pain in Janus’ chest should have been the first sign it was going to be a bad day. He’d definitely felt much worse, definitely, but that wasn’t the point, it still ached like hell. He hissed, it was like someone had just slammed a brick into his chest or something, <em>hell.</em><br/><br/>It hurt so bad that he doubled over and sunk to the floor, breathing out as the pain started to fade. It took a moment for his brain to process what had just happened, taking deep breaths on the ground, what the <em>fuck</em> was that? He suddenly felt drained of energy, and even though the major pain had passed, there was still a twinge of twisting pain in his stomach. despite the fact he had done <em>nothing</em> to cause it.<br/><br/>He’d hadn’t felt like being around anyone that morning, so he went off to be alone for a while, and ended up in the sleeping quarters, no one had sought him out, well, until now apparently. “Janus?” He heard Remus’ voice as the door creaked open. Convenient timing, huh?<br/><br/>He heard footsteps and then Remus came into view. “Janus? What are you doing?” His tone was a little sharper than usual, but Remus’ tone was always up and down, he could change moods instantly, so it wasn’t that unusual. He looked Janus up and down, “Why are you crumpled on the ground?”<br/><br/>“I don’t know, i just got some sharp, almost <em>stab</em> like pain out of nowhere.” Janus mumbled, he couldn’t exactly pinpoint or describe the pain, but Remus could get the gist. Remus tilted his head, “A pain? That’s weird.” He murmured, “You alright?” He asked. Janus nodded, “Yeah it’s pretty much gone now.” Remus gave a nod in response, then, “Are you gonna keep sitting on the floor, or...?”<br/><br/>Janus blinked a few times, “Oh, uh… i guess not.” He pushed himself up, the last remains of the pain fading away. That didn’t explain where it came from however, it wasn’t the usual kind of random one-off pain you got when you slept funny or something, it was really intense, he had felt like he was about to pass out.<br/><br/>He glanced at Remus, he looked a little off, maybe upset about something, “Are you okay?” He asked. Recently, Remus had had a few… dips, was one too put it, every time he walked past Roman or such, it was obviously a reminder of a bad memory, although he was getting better. He would get distant or go quiet, it reminded Janus a little about how Virgil used to be sometimes when they were younger.<br/><br/>The mystery affliction was still concerning him, but nothing had happened after, everything still seemed normal, so it could wait a little while since it wasn't an immediate danger. Right then, something was wrong with Remus, and he was acting a lot different than he usually did when he felt upset, which was concerning. Remus brows furrowed, shrugging and mumbling something that wasn’t really an answer.<br/><br/>Janus took the few steps towards him, “You sure?” He asked, he didn’t want to push, but he was also a little worried Roman and Remus had had another fight or something. He would have thought that was the right thing to do, although since he and Remus had taken their relationship to a new level he was never quite sure what the right thing to do was, he had no idea how to navigate a relationship like this, however, Remus seemed to shift from ‘off’ to <em>annoyed </em>at the question.<br/><br/>“I’m surprised you even <em>asked.</em>” Remus scoffed. “What?” Janus took a step back, Why was Remus surprised? Janus had asked him if he was alright plenty of times, ...hadn’t he? Remus crossed his arms, “Whatever.” He mumbled. It didn't seem like this came from a fight with Roman, it seemed like Remus was upset... at <em>him</em>.<em><br/></em><em><br/></em>“I- did i do something?” Janus, the question was blunt, but he didn’t know how else to figure out what was wrong. Remus was… <em>never</em> like this. He wasn’t experienced with all this relationship stuff, and as much as didn’t want to admit it, he was worried about messing it up.<br/><br/>“I said whatever. What’s up with you, anyways? Some off-hand pain?” Remus spoke with mild interest, It seemed like it wasn’t ‘whatever’ but if Remus didn’t want to talk about it, pushing it didn’t seem like a good idea. So Janus shrugged and let it go for then, figuring out where that mystery pain came from was something they needed to do anyways, “I don’t know. I can’t think of any reason, i wasn’t <em>doing</em> anything.”<br/><br/>Remus hummed, “Maybe it was just one of those random pains and you're just being a little dramatic about it.” He said as he sat down on one of the beds. Janus furrowed his brows, “Being dramatic? All i said was ‘i had this random pain’, and for your information, it was pretty damn painful.”<br/><br/>“No need to get pissy on me, i’m just trying to help.” Remus huffed. “I- but it <em>was,</em> it was abnormal, surely something’s up, right?” Janus insisted. Remus still didn’t seem bothered, whatever mood this was, Janus wasn’t a fan of it.<br/><br/>Why was he suddenly so… cold? It sure felt like Janus had done something wrong. Really wrong, actually, everything felt wrong. Like he’d messed some big thing up, but he couldn’t think of anything. Why didn’t Remus just <em>say</em> something, if he’d really messed up that bad that Remus didn’t even care anymore, why didn't just say it already? <br/><br/>“What is up with you? Why do you suddenly not <em>care</em>?” Janus spat before he could stop himself. It was more upsetting than frustrating honestly, but old habits die hard. “Why do <em>i</em> not care? What about <em>you</em>? You never care, this is like the first time you’ve ever seemed to care when i’m in a bad mood!” Remus shot back.<br/><br/>“What- i...” Janus trailed off, usually, when he sensed Remus was off, he would leave other be, because he thought Remus wanted to be alone. He always <em>seemed</em> like he wanted to be alone, he walked off himself most of the time. When had this conversation spun onto Janus?<br/><br/>“I… i thought you <em>wanted</em> to be alone.”<br/><br/>“Oh, so you never thought to <em>ask</em>? Instead of just leaving me alone when i was feeling bad like you didn’t give a shit?” Janus didn’t know how to respond to that, he… had he really been making it <em>worse</em>? It maybe was a mistake to not ask, but he assumed… assumed. He had just compared it to his past experiences and assumed that Remus would want the same. What an <em>idiot.</em> He really was crap at this relationship stuff.<br/><br/>“I- guess i should have asked… but you always just walked away. You even said that when you feel like that you’d rather be alone for a while, didn’t you?” Janus said, looking up and meeting Remus’ eyes, maybe it would somehow help. Last time he had to have an entire breakdown before Remus realised he didn’t mean to.<br/><br/>“That doesn’t mean i want you to just fuck off every time! You could try a little harder, you know. I’ve been trying since we <em>met</em> and now we finally got into a relationship you don’t even know what your doing! We never even talked about what this officially is, like you don’t even <em>want</em> to be an actual relationship.” Remus growled.<br/><br/>“What? No i- i just- i’ve never done this before, you know that, i don’t know how this <em>works.</em>” Janus said, voice cracking slightly. Remus hadn’t mentioned this before, it didn’t make sense, but Janus barely noticed, too caught up in the confirmation that he had, as he predicted, ended up being shit at this whole thing. And now Remus was mad, and he didn’t know what to <em>do.</em><br/><br/>“Am i really<em> that</em> bad at this…?”<br/><br/>At those words, a slight look of guilt passed Remus’ face. He sighed, “<em>Really</em>?” Janus wasn’t sure he really did want to know, but it was better to know the truth now than later, right?<br/><br/><br/>“Honestly? Yeah, you are pretty crap at it.” Remus’ tone grew annoyed and cold once more, “You can’t even feel enough empathy for two seconds to comfort someone who’s clearly upset. And that’s coming from <em>me.</em>”<br/><br/>Janus hugged his arms around himself, heart growing cold, he didn’t realise, but it sort of made sense that he’d be a crap partner when he’d spent his entire life pushing everyone as far away as possible. He didn’t know how to be all affectionate and lovey with someone, he kept jumping right back having his guard up.<br/><br/>But he’d been <em>trying</em>. He thought they had sorted it out, he thought Remus understood that it would take time, it wasn’t like Remus was perfect at this either, he wasn’t exactly all lovey- dovey sweet as sugar either. But he was still better at it than Janus, having had experience, and having no experience was one of the few rare things that made Janus insecure. It wasn’t <em>enough</em>.<br/><br/>He bit his lip, he was <em>not</em> going to cry over this, that wouldn’t help anything and it’d be embarrassing. Remus’ face softened at the sight,  that was embarrassing, but at least he seemed less  angry now.<br/><br/>“Aww,” He started, “I’m sorry, i didn’t mean to be so harsh Janny, i’m just a little stressed out today.” Remus said, a small smile on his face he opened up his arms, “Do you want a hug?” it was weird, a complete 180, but it was Remus after all, and besides, Janus wasn’t going to pass it up, Remus’ hugs were always good.<br/><br/>As Remus wrapped his arms around him, he shuddered slightly, why was Remus suddenly so <em>cold</em>? It was like he’d just gone swimming in the icy ocean, he was usually pretty warm. His hug felt different too, stiffer, like he’d forgotten how to hug. It was strange, but Janus wasn’t going to complain about it, even the cold, stiff hug felt nice right then.<br/><br/>They stood there silently for a moment, and his mind wandered back to what had started this in the first place. That weird, sharp stab pain, or was it more of a bruising pain? He didn’t really remember, all he knew was that it felt like he’d been attacked and it came out of nowhere. There was still no explanation for that. He racked his brain, but he’d never seen or heard of anything like that before.<br/><br/>Wait… he <em>had</em>. The memory of Remus suddenly doubling over in the navigation room flashed across his mind. That was because of… the tracking spell. That was- “Remus?” He said, breaking the silence. “Hm?” He heard in reply, his head leaning against Remus’ shoulder.<br/><br/>“That pain, what if it was a tracking spell? I don’t remember leaving anything behind, but if it was, shouldn’t we--” There was a deep, slow chuckle, “A tracking spell, huh?” He blinked, that… didn’t sound like Remus’ voice anymore, what--?<br/><br/>He tried to pull back but the arms around him tightened, almost <em>crushing</em> him, “Remus--?!” He was cut off. By the violent pain exploding in his back as a knife was plunged into him. A hand was suddenly over his mouth, stopping his scream from filling the room.<br/><br/>“Clever boy. But i can’t have you running off to tell the others or having them hear you scream now, can i?” Blood poured from the wound and pooled on the ground, the knife twisting deep inside, and as soon as the arms around him let go he fell to the ground.<br/><br/>His vision was clouded with black and white spots, he couldn’t even describe the pain at that point. Couldn’t see, couldn’t think, could barely <em>breathe</em>. Crumpled in a heap on the ground surrounded by his own warm, sticky blood, the last thing he saw before he fell unconscious was the flash of Green and Purple.<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>It was late afternoon, things were relatively quiet and calm, no more avoiding or bickering with each other going on anymore as the group all sat together, idly chatting. Roman and Remus still weren’t talking, but they would get there. Only Virgil and Janus weren’t present, but soon enough Virgil appeared, walking in with a question look on his face.<br/><br/>“Have any of you seen Janus? I know he wanted to be alone this morning, but he’s been gone all day and i need to talk to him, and i can’t find him anywhere.” He asked the room. “You can’t find him? Where did you look?” Logan asked, looking up at Virgil in the doorway.<br/><br/>“Not very far, but still. I guess this ship is pretty big but i can’t imagine he’d be in any of the small random rooms we don’t even know the names of.” Virgil murmured. “As i have told you, if you ask, i will tell you all the name and function of each room-” Logan said, but got cut off by Remus.<br/><br/>“Really? That’s weird. Well snakey’s gotta be around here somewhere. I’ll help you looksies, i’ve been missing him all day anyway.” Remus said, hopping up. Virgil nodded, “Yeah, okay.” Two people were better than one, he supposed.<br/><br/>“Are you really worried? Come on Virge, he’s fine. Probably just off somewhere being moody. It seems to go around on this ship.” Roman said jokingly, getting up and going over to Virgil, placing a hand on his shoulder. Virgil breathed out, “Yeah, will you come too? Just to make sure.” Roman nodded.<br/><br/>“We’ll join, right Logan? The more, the sooner we find him, the sooner Virgil doesn’t have to worry.” Patton piped up. Logan sighed, “I suppose. I don’t see the need, but alright.” Virgil sent them a small smile, he knew he tended to overthink things, but it was strange that Janus wasn’t around like everyone else was.<br/><br/>They split up into groups to look, Roman and Virgil going off together. Roman soon realised that Virgil’s worry maybe wasn’t so ridiculous when they couldn’t find Janus anywhere across the lower deck of the ship. They went back to the kitchen where they’d started, finding Logan and Patton were both back too.<br/><br/>Patton looked up at them as they re-entered, “You didn’t see him either? Oh gosh.” Patton said, worry growing in his voice. “Alright, alright calm down,” Roman asked, putting his hands up, “Is there anywhere we didn’t check?”  Virgil racked his brain, “Uhm… the sleeping quarters?”<br/><br/>“Ah, yes! I’m sure he’s just over there. Let’s go.” Roman said with a nod, he then took Virgil’s hand, giving it a squeeze. Virgil took a deep breath, right, it was <em>fine.</em> He was worried over nothing. It was always nothing, he’d just over thought everything. It was always fine.<br/><br/>Roman led him across the deck, Patton and Logan following behind. He briefly wondered where Remus had gone, he’d gone looking too, but maybe he just got distracted or something. Roman let go of Virgil’s hand as they stopped outside the door, “Any of you know where Remus went?” He asked as he pushed the door open.<br/><br/>He got his answer instantly, as Remus was standing in the middle of the room. Completely silent and still. “Remus?” Patton called out, his voice echoing slightly across the walls. There was no response. The four exchanged looks, what was Remus <em>doing?</em><em><br/></em><em><br/></em>Something about the whole room felt sort of… off. But Virgil couldn’t quite pinpoint it.<br/><br/>No one else made to move, so Virgil took a few slow steps across the floor, a little worried Remus had finally lost his mind or something. But as he stepped closer, a metallic smell filled his nose, and he noticed something. Something that was wrong, something that made his stomach churn.<br/><br/>Something very, <em>very </em>wrong.<br/><br/>On the ground here was a pool of deep, red freshly spilt blood. It seemed like Remus had frozen at the sight of it, which was odd for Remus considering he didn’t seem bothered by any amount of gross disturbing things, let alone just some blood. But Virgil knew why it made him freeze.<br/><br/>There were small, flickering specks of golden yellow mixed into the blood. Virgil had seen it before from past injuries, and he knew exactly whose blood it was.<br/><br/>“J-Janus?”<br/><br/>It was completely silent, it was dark in the room, eerie and <em>too</em> empty. There was a familiar bowler hat on the ground with a splash of blood across the black material and a knife thrown across the floor, covered in the same golden speckled blood, too much blood, too much for it to be <em>okay,</em> too much for this to have been a small injury, something fixable, or some accident, it was too <em>much</em><b>.</b><br/><br/>“Janus!?”<br/><br/>"<em>JANUS</em>?!"<br/><br/>“<b><em>JANUS!</em></b>”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>WARNINGS: Stabbing, knives, blood<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>So i guess i should run now, huh?<br/>Ha. Well, i think i'm fine, it's just Janus, if it had been Virgil ya'll woulda come after me SO HARD- but i think i'm safe.<br/>Betcha didn't think that title was literal, huh?<br/>*Sips tea*<br/>Yeah.<br/>Aight, Toodles &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0049"><h2>49. Your Time Is Running Out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Warnings: Blood, death mentions, James is one CUCKOO CLOCK- sadist behaviour, also he's just very creepy</p><p>The Beginning of the End.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <b>
    <em>Panic</em>
  </b>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Complete and utter chaos and panic. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Everything was crashing and burning down, Virgil was in the middle of a panic attack, they could all hear the sound of Remus yelling and things crashing and breaking, which wasn’t helping everyone else, the others were all in stages of panic or breaking down, Patton was crying, and no one knew what to do. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“EVERYONE CALM THE </span>
  <em>
    <span>FUCK </span>
  </em>
  <span>DOWN!” The voice boomed around the room, cutting through all other sounds.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The room fell silent instantly. Even Remus stopped, and all eyes wide and some wet with tears, turned to Remy. “Guess what? Panicking isn’t going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking</span>
  </em>
  <span> help anything.” Remy barked, “And i know you can’t exactly just magically get your shit together, but for </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck’s sake</span>
  </em>
  <span> you have to try because otherwise we’re going to end up sitting here wasting the limited amount of time we have!” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Remus growled, “Get my shit together!? GET MY SHIT TOGETHER!? WHAT THE FUCK--” Remy quickly cut off Remus’ distressed yells, they were, of course, well justified, even Remy was panicking and he could barely call Janus a friend so</span>
  <em>
    <span> god knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> how Remus was feeling, but that wasn’t going to help them right then. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Even with burning anger, stomach churning worry, concern and heavy anxious weights on their chests, they </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to pull themselves together enough to figure out what to do next. If they took too long....</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He swallowed, it looked like no one else was going to be able to keep it together, not that he really expected them too given the situation, so he was going to have to be in the one in charge, it seemed. He’d kept Remus in line (mostly) for these years, hopefully he could keep these guys from completely spiralling now. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“We don’t have </span>
  <em>
    <span>time.</span>
  </em>
  <span> As...” He paused, “Unfortunate as it is, the blood was… fresh, so, hopefully it… isn’t too late.” The silence, already uneasy and tense, plummeted into a terrified, still air. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>After a moment of silence, he pulled out his staff, first things first, they needed to find out where Janus even </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “How do we find him?” He asked out loud. It wasn’t hard to figure they probably took him back to Avia or Deria, to lore the princes back and get what they had wanted this entire time. It felt so long ago, a distant memory of two princes being forced to get married and willing to do anything to escape, not the Patton and Roman they’d come to know, opened up to and with, built lasting relationships with.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But just Avia or Deria wasn’t specific enough, Remy could teleport them there, but he needed a more precise location or it could go horribly wrong. And guessing wasn’t an option, they could end up anywhere, including somewhere dangerous. For them, pretty much everywhere in the kingdoms was dangerous. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Well,” Logan spoke up, more hesitant than any of them had ever heard him, “You…. could use blood for a tracking spell, could you not?” Before Remy could even open his mouth, Remus was up in Logan’s face, yelling again, “A TRACKING SPELL!? Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME!? YOU- you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> what a tracking spell does, we are NOT GOING TO PUT HIM IN </span>
  <em>
    <span>MORE</span>
  </em>
  <span> PAIN!” Even when yelling, there was a slight waver in his voice. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“REMUS! Calm down! It isn’t ideal, ...but it might be our only option.” Remy sighed, twisting his staff in hands, the situation was bad enough as it was, he wished there were an easier way. “I- there- there </span>
  <em>
    <span>has</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be something else…” Remus glanced around the room, “..Nothing?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Remy tugged him forward in a quick, squeezing hug. If he could, he would have held Remus longer, but everything was a ticking time bomb and they had to </span>
  <em>
    <span>move.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He made for the exit, he could go on his own to use the tracking spell so the other didn’t have to feel as much guilt, hopefully. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He caught a glance at Virgil on his way out, crying and shaking with unlaboured breaths in Roman’s arms. Not only was Remus dealing with the pain of losing his love, Virgil was dealing with possibly losing his </span>
  <em>
    <span>brother.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He pushed forward, despite how much he wanted to stay, calm down and comfort everyone the best he could, he couldn’t, because it wasn’t a cut and dry situation. It wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>over</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It felt like it had only just begun. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He took a silent walk across the deck, it had been sunny earlier but almost as if the weather knew what was happening, dark grey clouds filled the sky. He pushed the door to the sleeping quarters open with a creak, the room still silent, empty and cold. There were a few small wet patches of tears on the ground amongst the bloody pool and abandoned knife. He didn’t realise he was shaking himself until he had his hand gripped on the knife, a drip of red glossy liquid falling to the ground.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He took in a shaky deep breath, gripping the knife so tight his knuckles turned white, he needed to keep himself together, at least for now, and possibly for a long while, he had no idea how long this all could take. All he knew was that they needed to find Janus, hope he was still </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and somehow escape the countless guards and James and The Dark Creature </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> the kings and queens of Avia and Deria… there was a good chance they wouldn’t be able to do it all. A scarily good chance.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But they had to try. So he lifted his staff, chanting the tracking spell quietly, almost a whisper. He wished he didn’t have to, he knew the effect the spell had and there was a chance it would only make things worse but it was their only option. He completed the spell and for a moment, nothing happened. Just the eerie silence of the room and the faint rush of waves outside.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But then he saw it, a flash scene painted golden yellow, informing him exactly where Janus was and… a quick glimpse of it. Normally the visual hint would be good but… he tossed the knife to the ground, praying to himself to keep it together. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, it was only a second, but he could see that Janus had only kept loosing blood, it was only a matter of time until...</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He knew where they needed to go. Exactly where, he had no idea it even existed, a small, seemingly unused room, perhaps an extension of the dungeons? But it would be difficult, near impossible even, especially with all of them, to get them all there and out again safely. He could get them all there, it would take a while, but he could get them there with teleportation spells. They had to play this right, dozens of things standing in their way.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He formed a quick, basic plan in his mind as he briskly walked back over to the kitchen, he could take them right outside the castle walls, in the edges of the forest so they could hide from any guards. And… then… figure it out from there. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It’d have to do. This was going to be risky, every second of it. But hey, they’d been risking their lives for months, why stop now?</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He got back, all gazes snapping to him instantly as he walked through the door. He took a breath in, “I know where we need to go.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Where?” Remy was surprised when Virgil was the first to speak up, two seconds ago he’d been in the middle of a panic attack but his voice was suddenly steady. Determined. He wanted his brother back. His face was still stained with tears and he was still shaking, but Remy didn’t have to look twice to know he’d murder anyone who stood in his way right then.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Not a clue what it actually is, but i know how we get there. I can’t bring you all at once, but we can get there. Not a fucking clue what we do from there, but we’ll have to figure it out fast and keep on our toes.” Remy explained, clutching his staff tight.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“It’s… some random room underneath the Avia castle, i’m not sure.” He added, eyes falling down to the ground. Things went silent again, he wished he could give them more, but he couldn’t. God, he wished he could, tell them that he’d seen a flash that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> and that he thought it might be okay but… what he’d seen wasn’t good. It was bad. So, so bad.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>And now, more than ever, he knew how fast the clock was ticking. He looked up, “We need to go, now.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>--</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Finally.</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It felt so </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be so </span>
  <em>
    <span>close</span>
  </em>
  <span> to </span>
  <em>
    <span>VICTORY.</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It wasn’t over quite yet, but it was only a matter of time. A delighted grin blossomed across James’ face as he took the steps through the room, an empty stone walled and concrete floored room in the castle that was never used, they would have gone to the dungeon but, well, what was the point? It wasn’t like their </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend</span>
  </em>
  <span> was going anywhere. Not while he was bleeding out onto the ground, life slowly fading from his body.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Each step echoed around the room, only three people present. Dark was standing in the doorway, they cackled, “You should have </span>
  <em>
    <span>seen</span>
  </em>
  <span> it Jamie, his </span>
  <em>
    <span>face</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” They said as they bounced up and down the steps that lead to the room, doing a twirl at the end, full of energy after their recent triumph. “Aw, the poor baby almost</span>
  <em>
    <span> cried</span>
  </em>
  <span> when he thought his precious sweetheart was mad at him.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Sounds </span>
  <em>
    <span>delightful.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m glad you had a fun time.” James said, not bothering to look back at the creature, his eyes were locked on something else. He couldn’t help but smile, what else was he supposed to do, the key to the rest of his plan was right there in front of him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dying.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He tutted, “You’re getting blood all over the floor, how rude.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He smirked at the lack of a response, of course he knew there wasn’t going to be one, but the sweet sound of suffering silence was music to his ears. Although he could still hear struggling breaths, he hadn’t kicked the bucket quite yet, which was rather impressive. Probably those </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid</span>
  </em>
  <span> magicks, keeping his body going longer than a regular human’s would.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Unfair.</span>
  </em>
  <span> That’s what they were. An unfair advantage given aimlessly, based on </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, leaving some random members of the population with powerful abilities while the rest are left mere humans. Even with witchcraft, it was nowhere near as strong as magicks, even if you trained and trained and </span>
  <em>
    <span>trained</span>
  </em>
  <span> to become highly skilled it still wasn’t at the same level as magicks.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Oh, the pure </span>
  <em>
    <span>joy</span>
  </em>
  <span> he could have saying he eliminated these magicks users with his own two hands. Well, this was technically Dark’s kill, he supposed, but he was taking out the other two, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no one </span>
  </em>
  <span>was going to take those kills from him. He wanted to see the life drain out of their eyes.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Still, might as well get a little piece of this one as well, just for the fun of it. He reached the dying body with a few more steps, giving a swift kick, grin growing wider. He heard something crack, as if there wasn’t enough blood already, more came pouring out across the ground. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oopsie</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Still holding in there, are you? How </span>
  <em>
    <span>sweet</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but you won’t last, even if they get here in time, there's no way you can all make it out alive. Such a </span>
  <em>
    <span>shame</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He started to walk around his body in circles, voice taunting and twisted, “But don’t worry, none of them will be in pain very long, i’ll be making sure of that.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He crouched down, leaning forward on the balls of his feet. He hummed casually, dabbing his finger in the pool of blood and bringing it back up again, “Pretty, huh? with your fancy little gold speckles. Being magic is pretty </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span>, hm?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He leaned forward even closer, lowering his voice to a whisper, “If you actually thought for one second you would get away, </span>
  <em>
    <span>any of you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, then you’re even more ignorant than you look. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> give up, and i </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> lose. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ever</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He stood back up again, licking the blood off his finger with a corrupt smile, “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>win.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He stepped straight over the body, heading back to the doorway, it was all about the waiting now. It would all be over soon, when those fools came for their </span>
  <em>
    <span>precious</span>
  </em>
  <span> snake, they could fight but they would be severely outnumbered, even with their idiotic </span>
  <em>
    <span>magicks</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The princes would be back where they belonged, not that James cared about that, no, he’d kill them both two if he could. No no, what he cared about was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>bloodshed</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Call him insane, he didn’t care, nothing was as good at the feeling he got when someone was hurt, bleeding out, screaming, </span>
  <em>
    <span>dying.</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It was truly only a matter of time. “Tick, tick, tick…” He reached the stairway back up into the castle floor, pausing with one last look back, “Your time’s running out.” He slammed the door behind him with a smirk, knowing the room would have sunk into near pitch black darkness. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Finally.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It was almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>over, </span>
  </em>
  <span>almost time for him to get this down to the gritty, bloody parts. Get his hands dirty with that bothersome, infuriating, infernal god</span>
  <em>
    <span> fucking damn </span>
  </em>
  <span>group of runaways. They’d stolen his sword, but it didn’t matter, he didn’t need it to take them out. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>All he needed was for them to take the bait. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>w o w<br/>really got into James' head there, huh? he's one crazy fucking biscuit. </p><p>We l p- So, Janus, h u h? that guy... sure is having a fun time.<br/>lmao me and my beta reader were joking about the blood licking thing like- Janus, who is literally fucking DYING, just suddenly sits up like "... did you just fucking lick my blood?" LMAO- like- "NAW, FUCK THIS SHIT, I'M OUT-" and he just diES right there and then because James is TOO MUCH- lmAO- </p><p>Also, sorry this chapter is pretty short, gotta lotta action coming and its- oh boy it's gonna be a lot... and so, so much angst... i can't begin to describe the ANGST- seriously i'm nowhere near done with the angst, prepare yourselves</p><p>Alright, toodles &lt;3 &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0050"><h2>50. In Your Arms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>MAJOR, MAJOR WARNINGS IN THE END NOTES! AAAHHH, AGAIN, JUST DON'T WANNA SPOIL, BUT THIS IS A H U G E CHAPTER!!</p><p>The group head out to try and save Janus before it's too late.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span>It took a while, but eventually Remy got them all there, a secluded and hidden area at the edge of the woods outside the castle walls. Even from there, they could see guards roaming around through the cracks in the trees and bushes, there seemed to be one at every possible post.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>With one last trip to the ship and back, he appeared with a cloudy grey puff, Emile and Logan by his sides. “Alright, that’s everyone.” He mumbled, he was </span><em><span>exhausted</span></em><span> after all that teleporting, he wouldn’t be able to do anymore magic for a while. This wasn’t looking so great so far.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Uh, Remy?” Emile’s voice was in his ear, nervous sounding. “Hm?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “I know i have a staff now, but i haven’t had it very long, what if i can’t do anything helpful?” Emile asked worriedly, clearly picking up on the fact Remy would be out of commission for a bit. Remy offered him a soft smile, “If you need to do it, you’ll be able to. Besides, your staff is so cute! It’s got little blue and pink flowers all over it.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Emile flashed a smile back, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Can you two stop being so lovey-dovey for a minute? We have kind of important shit going on.” Remus snapped, his distress coming out in anger and annoyance. Remy sighed, “Sorry. Okay, uh… this was my entire plan, not gonna lie. I have no idea how to get into the castle.” He admitted sheepishly.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>There was a moment of stressed, panicked quiet while everyone racked their brains for any sort of decent idea. An idea that wouldn’t get them </span><em><span>killed.</span></em><span> Suddenly Roman spoke up, “Oh!” A look of realisation dawned on his face, “I have an idea. It might not still be here, but…” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He trailed off, taking a turn and walking off into the trees with no further context. The rest of the group slowly followed, exchanging looks with each other and wondering what Roman was talking about.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Roman could have</span><em><span> sworn</span></em><span> it was around here somewhere, although to be fair, all the trees in the woods did tend to look alike. He thought he must be in the wrong part of the woods, but then he spotted a glimpse of brown out the corner of his eye, stopping in his tracks.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He gasped, was that it? He hurried towards it, and as the trees cleared out of his vision, could see that </span><em><span>yes, it was!</span></em><span> He grinned, turning his head back to call out to the others, “I found it!” He said. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>It was a small wooden door, very small, but they could fit through it one at a time. It was sort of a secret passageway, an old abandoned tunnel in and out the castle. He used it a few times as a kid, wanting to escape for a while when he was bored or getting overwhelmed with the royal life.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>It was still there, and still accessible. Thank goodness, it was there only way in without being immediately spotted. It suddenly hit him that he was probably their best bet right then, being the one who knew the castle best. He had grown up there after all, and gone all over in all the places he wasn’t supposed to in his boredom. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He turned and saw the others emerging through the greenery. He grinned, “We have an entrance! It’s a tunnel i used as a kid. If i remember correctly, it comes out in the cellar, we can get into the kitchen from there. It should be empty right now.” He said proudly, then paused, blinking a few times, “It’s… uh, i think it’s early afternoon right?” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>They’d all lost their sense of time for the most part, it was very difficult to keep track when you didn’t have a clock around. There were a lot of questioning looks and eyebrow raises, so Roman rolled his eyes and gestured for them to follow him. He crouched down, pulling the stiff door open. It hadn’t been used in a long time, to be fair, he was most likely the last to use it.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>It was small, but they could walk if they crouched down. It wasn’t exactly the most pleasant thing to walk through, dark and dusty, although as a kid Roman did clean it up a little, he was a prince, he had to make it decent! But after years of neglect, it was as musty as expected.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>But right then, none of them cared. They wouldn’t have cared if it was full of spiders (Well, maybe Patton, but still). Not with something so important on the line. At the end of the tunnel, there was another small door which Roman pushed open with his arm. The cellar was lighter than the tunnel, lanterns lit up around the room, although still rather cold and dusty.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Did you close the door behind you?” Roman asked Remy quietly, who was the last one to go, once they were all out. Remy nodded, “Yeah, well i tried, kind of hard when there’s no handle on the inside.” He said back, then lowered his voice, “Should we be whispering?”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Just to be cautious. If someone’s in the kitchen, they might hear us if we’re too loud.” Roman whispered back. He glanced around, spotting the steps up into the kitchen, a latched door above them. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>It would be difficult to check if someone was up there without being spotted. He bit his lip, trying to think of an idea. Maybe they could have Emile use some sort of spell…? Out of nowhere, a rat scurried across the floor, and a shriek from Patton echoed around the room. Immediately, everyone froze, the air turning still. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>A look of guilt immediately replaced the frightened look on Patton’s face, hand going to cover his mouth even though the damage had already been done. Everyone was unmoving while they waited to see if anyone had heard them. Frozen, but also subtly getting ready to fight if they needed too, gripping daggers or whatever else in hand.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>But it stayed silent, it appeared no one was above them and no one had heard. Lucky escape, it seemed. There was a drop in tension, shoulders dropping and grip loosening, but they had deemed it safe too quickly. The cellar door swung open and standing at the stop of the stairs was a horribly familiar face, scar running down his face and twisted grin.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Well, i was wondering when you were going to show up!” James said with a happy, causal tone as if they were guests at a dinner party. “How was the journey here? Was the teleporting good?” He asked, smiling.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Looking a little tired, do it all yourself?” He asked with a fake concern to Remy. Remy growled at him. James kept smiling, “Well. That’s unfortunate. Shall we go up? There's a lot of people waiting for you. I know you might think we’re going to have a fight or such, but unfortunately, i don’t have the time, and there's guards in every inch of this castle, so i wouldn’t bother trying anything.” Tone full of false sweetness as a grin spread across his face.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>But despite his words, and the lingering worry there might be dozens of guards above them, Virgil suddenly shot forward, lunging at James and knocking him down. “</span><em><span>You fucking</span></em><span> BASTARD!” He screamed, his anger taking over his body.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>James barely seemed caught off guard, swiftly pulling out a sword, apparently a new one he’d gotten since they stole his. Honestly they’d left his old sword behind since it was useless to them. Virgil narrowly missed it, straining to pull back, giving James the chance to shove him off and too the ground.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>There was no pause, Virgil was barely on the ground for a second before he promptly disappeared and reappeared above James, crashing down on him, digging straight into his back and there was a distinct </span><em><span>crack.</span></em><span> He was breathing heavily, voice wavering between his pain and sorrow and his raging wrath. “You think you can just GET AWAY WITH THIS?! Well you thought WRONG, YOU FUCKING </span><em><span>MONSTER!</span></em><span>” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Tears had started to form in the corner of Virgil’s eyes, but he ignored them, right then, he didn’t</span><em><span> care</span></em><span>. He had only one thought, one mission, one goal, and that was to </span><em><span>destroy</span></em><span> that </span><em><span>god forsaken</span></em><span> BEAST. Despite clearly being injured, James didn’t give up, pulling himself up from the rubble that had accumulated on the ground with a coughing laugh, “Oh, did i make you upset? Did your brother getting stabbed make you a sad baby?”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Virgil growled, “</span><em><span>Shut your fucking mouth.</span></em><span>” James pulled his sword up clearly ready to swing, “You’re an angry one, aren’t you?” He chuckled. Something was burning inside of Virgil, not just anger, although he was boiling with rage, there was something else, something he hadn’t felt before, deep down. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>It was like it was buried under a rock, a spark he’d never felt before then. But it was almost like it was calling him, then growing bigger and bigger with each word that fell from James’ mouth, like something trying to break out.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>And then....</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Don’t worry, i made sure he died a nice, slow, </span><em><span>painful </span></em><span>death.” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>And those were the words that finally set it off, an animal instinct never before brought to the surface, more than burning rage, but </span><em><span>unstoppable </span></em><b><em>fury</em></b><em><span>.</span></em><span> James swung forward, and the next few moments were mostly a blur, all Virgil knew was that he felt something, like something was moving, </span><em><span>growing?, </span></em><span>out of his back, a strange, fuzzy feeling on his face and in his mouth. And before he knew it, he was moving forward, an ear-piercing hiss ripping from his throat.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>It happened so fast, one second James was upright, bearing his sword and still up for the fight, and then, the next second,he was on the ground, blood gushing out,, red and glossy, along with a distinct purple liquid. </span><em><span>Poison</span></em><span>, running out mixed into the blood. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Two giant hairy spider legs were plunged deep into his chest, killing him practically instantly without barely a scream. Silence filled the room along with heavy, slightly shaking breaths. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>No animal counterpart, he always said, yet Virgil was stood there right then, with eight glowing purple eyes, six huge spidering legs, poison dripping from them, and fangs sticking out of his mouth.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>They were gone in a minute, retracting back into his body and leaving the normal Virgil, animal featureless, behind, who then immediately crumpled down to the ground. “V-Virgil?” Roman couldn’t stop the shake in his voice, his system still full of complete and utter shock.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>There was only a groan in reply. Roman’s brain kick-started again, making him rush to Virgil’s side. “Are you alright?” He asked, gathering Virgil in his arms and pulling him closer. “Y- yeah… i think so, just… tired. And i feel weird…” Virgil murmured.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“You- i thought you didn’t </span><em><span>have </span></em><span>any animal.” Roman asked, desperately confused. “I- </span><em><span>didn’t.</span></em><span>” Virgil glanced up at Roman’s face, eyes widening, “ I didn’t think i did… i didn’t know, i swear-” Virgil said, shaking his head. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Hey, hey it’s okay, i’m not upset, just…surprised. It was quite the sight. A spider, huh?” Roman said, brushing the hair out of Virgil’s face. Virgil let out a sigh, “Yeah… i guess it’s not that surprising, huh?”  </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“H- he- is-- is h-he d-d-dead?” Patton’s stuttering voice startled Roman a little, he’d almost forgotten the others were there. He looked up, then glanced at James, breathing out, “Yeah, he’s definitely dead.” Virgil pulled himself up, still leaning against Roman for support, “Good. That’s what i was trying to do.” He mumbled.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Bu- but…” Patton whimpered, Virgil glanced at him, look hardening, “He’s killed countless people, Patton.” Patton sighed, “I… i guess so…” </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Morals are sort of different when it comes to murder, you know.” Patton hugged himself, “I know… but i still don’t like it.” He turned away from the body, leaning in Logan beside him to hide his face.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span> Roman turned his attention back to Virgil, “Can you walk?” Virgil's face scrunched up as if he were mentally debating, “Uhm.. i think so.” He said with a nod. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Gripping to Roman’s arm, Virgil pulled himself up. He took a few steps forward to test, “I- i think i’m good. I recovered faster than when i drain myself, at least, there was no passing out. But- i’ve never done that before, so, you know…” He shrugged.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He trailed off and the room went quiet. Suddenly, after the rush of anger, James’ last words were ringing in his mind, a horrible realisation dawning on him. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“</span><em><span>I made sure he died a nice, slow, </span></em><b><em>painful </em></b><em><span>death.</span></em><span>” Died. </span><em><span>Died. </span></em><b><em>Died</em></b><em><span>. </span></em><b><em>DIED</em></b><em><span>.</span></em><span> He… he was already dead. The grief and pain hit him like a truck, the previous tears in his ears coming back full force, wrecking, heartbreaking wails.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He pressed himself forward into Roman’s chest, clutching the other’s shirt and sobbing uncontrollably. No, it couldn’t be too late, surely. No, </span><em><span>no,</span></em> <b><em>no</em></b><span>! He couldn’t, he </span><em><span>couldn’t</span></em><span> lose Janus. That was his brother, his whole </span><em><span>world</span></em><span>, the person who practically</span><em><span> raised</span></em><span> him, </span><em><span>looked after </span></em><span>him, who </span><em><span>protected</span></em><span> him. He risked everything for Virgil so many times, and Virgil couldn’t even get there in time to save him. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>There was another hand on his shoulder, “There is a possibility James was lying to extract a wanted reaction from you.” It was Logan’s voice, not completely calm as usual, of course, “I don’t mean to get your hopes up, however, we should make sure before we completely give up.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Virgil steadily pulled away, sniffling and choking back his tears, and slowly nodded. “Y-yeah okay, you- you’re right…” Roman pulled him close again for another hug, whispering to him, trying to give him any sort of comfort in the moment, even if was a sort of lost cause.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>The room was full of heavy silence, the moment washing over them all, in a drowning way.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>They all turned suddenly to the sound of smashing, wood chips flying around as large, black tentacles smashed into several surrounding barrels. Everyone had a different way of dealing, the sound of glass jars shattering followed soon after. Remy waited a moment until the destruction stopped and he heard distinct cries, and he went over to hold Remus in his arms. He'd only ever seen him cry twice in the whole time they’d known each other, but there was no denying that he was crying now. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>No one knew what to say, there were no comforting words that could be spoken, not until they knew for sure. And they still had to go, fast, if it wasn’t already too late they didn’t have much time before it was, and they couldn’t waste it. If they had a chance of keeping Janus alive, they had to do their best to grab it. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Going up the steps and out of the cellar, the kitchen was mercifully empty. Seems like James had been bluffing about it being full of guards, maybe he was bluffing about Janus too. They all desperately hoped so. However, there were bound to be guards in the hall outside the kitchen.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Neither Virgil or Remus were in a state to use magicks to fight right then, so Remy nodded to Emile, explaining, “Paralyzing spell.” He said, repeating the spell to the other, who nodded. “Okay.” He took a deep breath and went over to the kitchen door. He took a second, positioning his staff to the ready, then pulled the door open. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>The hallway was silent, he turned back, “I got them.” He said, offering a small smile. Remy nodded, “Okay, let’s go, the room… it’s next to the dungeons, if i remember correctly.” He murmured, trying to remember what he’d found by using the tracking spell. Apart from what he saw. He swallowed, he didn’t know if he was ready to see it again.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>The guards were all completely stuck, encased in pink and blue magic as they walked past. All of a sudden, Remy stopped in his tracks, gaze snapping to a dark grey door. “I… think it’s in there.” He said quietly.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>They were near the dungeons, which had a big, open entrance that led you downwards. But here, this was a much less visible doorway, you could definitely miss it if you weren’t looking. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He took in a deep breath, pausing. No one else was moving, so he went over and placed his hand on the door, slowly pushing it open. There were stairs going downwards and it was dark, seemingly the light from the doorway being the main source of light in the room. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>But what got him was the strong copper smell that immediately hit him, </span><em><span>blood.</span></em><span> His breath hitched in his throat, this was definitely the right room, but god, he didn’t know if he was ready to see it… again. It was only a brief flash before but… he shuddered.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Remy? Is that it?” Emile’s voice from behind him made him jump slightly, “Yeah.” He said breathlessly. Emile’s eyes widened, “That smell…” Unlike Remy, he didn’t know what exactly he was going to find, even if he had an idea, he hadn’t seen it in person yet. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>As Emile rushed forward down the steps, the rest of them were suddenly following him, and Remy wished he had time to warn them before... He winced at the gasps that followed, forcing himself to go down the steps. It was worse than before, blood covered almost the entire floor, somehow, magicks seemed to enhance your body, but all the blood was horrifying.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>They were all frozen, blood soaking the soles of their shoes, the smell overpowering,until Remus rushed forward. </span><em><span>“JANUS!</span></em><span>” He practically fell down to his knees, scrambling frantically. He was whispering, mostly to himself, “Please be alive,</span><em><span> please.</span></em><span>” Over and over like a mantra, begging the world to let Janus still be alive. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He forced himself to go silent so he could listen. They were there, slow, clearly struggling, but they were </span><em><span>there</span></em><span>. He was </span><em><span>breathing</span></em><span>. “Oh god- Janus- Janus-” He scooped the other into his arms, tears silently rolling down his face. How could he of let this </span><em><span>happen</span></em><span>? Janus was cold and so lifeless looking, he felt his heart shatter into pieces. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“He’s- he’s alive?!” Virgil gasped, rushing over as fast as he could, almost tripping on the way. “Oh my god-” He bent down beside him, “I- how-?” He stuttered, mind racing and </span><em><span>screaming</span></em><span> at him. Remus shook his head, he looked up at Virgil with desperate eyes, “I don’t know and i don’t </span><em><span>care</span></em><span>. Virgil, you need to heal him </span><em><span>NOW.”</span></em> <span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Virgil’s eyes widened, “I- right- i-” He took a few breaths in and out, trying to steady himself,  “I- i can do this.” He mumbled to himself. He had to do this. He </span><em><span>had</span></em><span> to. He couldn’t lose Janus. He</span><em><span> couldn’t</span></em><span>. He put out his hands, squeezing his eyes closed. Last time he was distracted he couldn’t do much healing, and by god he was more than a little distracted right then. He could feel his tears sticking to his face, emotions raging inside of him, relief but so much sadness and </span><em><span>pain, </span></em><span>and lingering rage still towards those who did this to them un the first place, who did this to </span><em><span>Janus.</span></em><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Purple sparked from his hands like shots of electricity, but it wasn’t </span><em><span>enough</span></em><span>. “Work, work please-!” He begged himself. He needed to do this, it was their only hope, their last chance, Emile couldn’t do healing, Remy couldn’t do magic right then and even if he could, Virgil was the only one strong enough to heal Janus in this state, the open wound in his back, so deep it went right through him, gaping out. </span><em><span>Please, please please-- </span></em><span>Just then, the door to the room slammed against the wall, having been left half-open when they came in.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>The dark creature, followed by countless guards, was standing in the entryway, eyes burning with pure cruel joy at the scene, “Well, hello there.” It said, cackling. No, it couldn’t be too late- “NO, no, no i can-” Virgil was cut off by his own heavy breaths, he didn’t have time he had to do it </span><em><span>now--</span></em><em><span><br/>
</span></em><em><span><br/>
</span></em><em><span>THERE WASN’T TIME--</span></em><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>The breaths had been incredibly slow to begin with, barely there, as the tiniest bit of remaining life tripped from Janus’ body, but then…. They stopped. He stopped breathing.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He was cold and lifeless, dead in Remus’ arms. And it was like the world came to a crashing halt. It was</span><em><span> too late</span></em><span>, nothing</span> <span>could bring him back now, he’d held on for a long as possible but now he was </span><em><span>gone</span></em><span>. Gone </span><b><em>forever.</em></b><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“No… no, no, NO!” Remus’ cracked, shaking voice echoed around the empty room. He clutched the lifeless body tightly, as if would help, bring him back, do</span><em><span> anything</span></em><span>, but of course it wouldn’t. He could only sob helplessly, surrounded by his dead lover’s pool of blood. It was like everything inside of him faded away, leaving him empty apart from unstoppable cries. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Virgil couldn’t breathe, when Janus’ breaths stopped, he felt like his did too. His mind had frozen, head screaming and </span><em><span>screaming, </span></em><b><em>No, no, NO!</em></b><span> he didn’t even know if he was crying anymore, his whole world crashing down on him with no mercy. His heart had grown cold, frozen in place, unable to move, unable to speak. This </span><em><span>couldn’t</span></em><span> be the end.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>“Awe, did he finally kick the bucket? I’ve been waiting all day.” The dark creature’s smooth, delighted voice filled the room, not even flinching as seven pairs of eyes snapped to them at once, all full of indescribable emotions, especially the two crying on the floor.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span> “</span><b><em>You</em></b><em><span>.” </span></em><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>The dark creature smiled at Remus, “</span><em><span>Me.</span></em><span>” It paused, but kept talking before Remus could say anything, “Oh, but don’t go being mad at me now sweetheart, after all, i wasn’t the one who stabbed him…” The creature shifted, form changing into a familiar looking face, “You were.” The voice came out exactly as Remus’, his own face staring right back at him.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>Remus’ breath hitched in his throat. The creature had disguised itself as </span><em><span>him.</span></em><span> The creature giggled, “Fun, isn’t it? Should have seen the look on his face.”</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>His anger won over the rest of his raging emotions, causing him to purge forward and attack the creature, ready to tear it apart no matter how long it took. But guards swarmed him, too many for him to fight against, even with his tentacles and red-hot fury, he was severely outnumbered.</span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>The guards, with the threats of swords at their throats, gathered them all together, restraining them. They had </span><em><span>lost</span></em><span>. In</span><em><span> so many </span></em><span>ways. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>As a couple guards were headed towards him, Virgil’s body suddenly reacted, but he didn’t run or fight, no, instead going to the lost cause of trying one last time to heal his brother, even after he’d gone. Even with the rational part of his brain telling him he couldn’t, he’d long lost that, it had been the worst day of his entire life (And that was saying something) and by then he’d lost sense of logic. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He squeezed his eyes shut so tightly it hurt, he didn’t want to know when the guards had reached him, or when they grabbed him and ripped him away from the person he loved most in the world. </span><span><br/>
</span><span><br/>
</span><span>He’d been here before, in a way, trying desperately to heal something he couldn’t. He felt something, a spark, a flicker of hope passing him by, but suddenly arms were grabbing him, pulling him away, he opened his eyes to try and see if he’d done something, </span><em><span>anything</span></em><span>, but his vision was too blurred. But Janus’ body was still unmoving.</span><span></span><br/>
<span><br/>
</span><span>“No- NO!” He screamed, this couldn’t be it, he couldn’t let it end like this-! “No- …. No… n-o....” His voice trailed off as darkness started to surround him, the world around him starting to fade away. He couldn’t fight it, the darkness engulfed him, and everything turned black.</span></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings: major character death, other character death, spiders, blood<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>... holy shit.<br/>i'm dying, i'm not joking, this chapter killed me. i- i almost cried writing the end, i love janus so FUCKING MUCH- holy shit man-</p><p>well, you've had a question answered at least, i didn't forget about Virgil's animal trait, i just was waiting to reveal it, shocker, he's a spider. More of a shocker, he killed a man. But let's be honest, we wanted James dead anyways. Aha. The dark creature isn't quite done yet however, they somehow became the main villain i'm not sure what happened James was meant to be the main one lel- but for some reason NO ONE HATES ON THEM- COME ON GUYS IT'S EVIL AF IT'S NOT NB REP IT'S A GOO MONSTER STOP JOAN IS THE NB REP LOVE JOAN THEY'RE G O D NOT THE EVIL SLIME MONSTER AH-</p><p>Anyways, uh...<br/>Toodles &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0051"><h2>51. Bonus Chapter 3: Childhood Past Stories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>AHAHAHA, ik some of you get notifs, did i cause any panic? aHA- no, it's just a bonus chapter, you've been tricked!</p><p>but seriously, first of all, after last chapter i think we needa CHILL- second, i still need time and a mental break from this crazy fucking storyline, so yEah- here we are! bonus chapter time, this time around we have childhood stories from the past.<br/>1. Janus &amp; Virgil<br/>2. Remus<br/>3. Roman</p><p>Warnings (yeah, i said chill, but nOTHING about jan and virge's childhood was chILL-) : Implied/refrenced child abuse, blood, head injury</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Janus had no idea what had happened while he was gone.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He’d gone into town, and it was too dangerous to take Virgil with him, he barely made it out without having anything stolen from him or such, the main part of town was full of nothing but pure criminals. He usually always took Virgil with him wherever he went, he couldn’t trust that he would be safe otherwise. And of course, he was right.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>When he got back, he’d been as fast as possible but not fast enough, he was met with the scene of Virgil, unconscious and crumpled against the wall, his head bleeding. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He rushed over, gently lifting Virgil’s head to try and conclude what the damage was.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He let out a small sigh of relief upon seeing it wasn’t too bad, just a cut from hitting the jagged stone wall, but his relief was short lived as he heard growls and heavy footsteps on the floor above them.  He had to get Virgil out of the house, and quickly.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He scooped Virgil up into his arms, he wasn’t very strong but Virgil was just as unsettlingly light as always. He grit his teeth, he didn’t have time for wallowing, they needed to get out the house before any more damage was done. He racked his brain for anywhere in Dusk Town that was even remotely safe for them, somewhere to lay low for a while. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He couldn’t think of anywhere, but as a deep, angered voice echoed around the walls he moved on instinct, heading out the door without a clue where he was going. It didn’t really matter, most places were still better than what awaited them back “home” anyways. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The street of run down cottages were quiet, but they couldn’t stay there, it was too out in the open, so he kept moving. He dodged the main town area, always crawling with thieves, creeps and worse. There was no way he was taking Virgil anywhere near there. He found himself wandering through the trees just outside the town area, the loud sounds of the town behind him fading away.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>They’d never been around there before, and he was starting to think it was nothing but trees, until he spotted something. He realised it was a stone wall, surrounding the town’s graveyard. It was completely empty, not a soul in sight anywhere around them. He breathed out, it wasn’t the most pleasant place to be, but it would have to do for now. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He placed Virgil down leaning against a tree trunk, still unconscious, much to Janus’ dismay. Janus sighed and he slumped down against the tree himself, he knew he probably needed to wrap something around Virgil’s head to stop the bleeding, but he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> anything and he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>exhausted</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He was always exhausted, from running and hiding, always trying to protect Virgil and the near constant adrenaline coursing through his veins as he tried to keep them safe. He never got a second of peace.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He forced himself to get up and do his best to treat Virgil’s wound, pulling off a bandage wrapped around a few day old injury of his to use for Virgil instead, Virgil was more important. Hopefully his brother would wake up soon. He waited, hugging his knees to his chest and stared into the ground. The grass was at least a pretty shade of green, it was spring so the nature around them was blooming. It was something small, but it was something to focus on as he waited for Virgil to wake up.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>And as the sun began to set, Virgil came back around, wincing and whimpering, obviously in pain. Janus had seen Virgil do a bit of healing magic a few times on some cuts and bruises of his, but they had learned that he couldn’t use his healing magic on himself. Janus wished he could, he couldn’t do any sort of healing magic himself, when it came to Virgil’s injuries, they just had to wait it out. It hurt to see him hurt, much worse than his own injuries did.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Then again, Virgil could barely do any healing magic or magic in general at that stage, being so young, so most of Janus’ couldn’t be healed either. That’s why they had to hide so much. He wrapped Virgil up in his arms, holding him gently, “Hey, it’s okay Vivi, i’ve got you. What happened?” He asked softly.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Virgil whimpered in response, “I- i don’t…  don’t r-remember…” Janus’ brows creased, “Don’t… remember?” How could he not remember? Unless… unless he did his head so hard he lost the memory. Virgil sniffled, “Hurts.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Janus’ heart ached, he always did his best to keep Virgil out of the way and with the least amount of damage possible, but he still got hurt when Janus’ back was turned for two seconds, or when he was too beaten himself to protect him.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He held Virgil a little tighter, “I know, i know. It’ll heal soon, okay? It’s just a little cut on your head, you’ll be okay.” Virgil weakly nodded, closing his eyes, he probably wouldn’t get any proper sleep but any kind of rest was better than no rest.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Janus sighed, leaning back against the tree as the sun disappeared behind the clouds. It was going to be a long night, just like usual.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>------</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Remus gasped, “Mama, look, a froggie!” He giggled as he ran towards the pond. “Your right, sweetheart, it is a little frog. Be careful not to trip over though, don’t want you getting hurt.” His mother replied, her and his papa following behind him as he excitedly explored the new area. It was so pretty and colourful around there, so many things to discover!</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He made it to the little pond, with clear bluey-green water, grass and rocks surrounding it and a tiny little green frog sat on a stone. He laughed as he sat down on his knees, waving to the frog, “Hi! My name is Remus!”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The frog, of course, didn’t reply. He didn’t mind, it was green,and  he loved the colour green! “Mama, Papa, it’s green! My favourite kind of green, too!” He called out to his parents. They finally caught up with the hyperactive six year old, sitting down either side of him by the small pond.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“He’s a lovely little frog. Do you think we should give him a name?” His papa asked. Remus hummed in thought, what would be a good name for the froggie? He gasped, flapping his hands about, he had come up with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span> name!</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Apple! Like a green apple, my favourite fruit!” He said resolutely, putting his hands on his hips.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Apple? I think that’s a lovely name.” His Mama said with a nod, “You can try putting your hands out, he might want to hop on them.” Remus gasped, ecstatic at the idea of being able to hold the tiny frog. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Make sure to be slow.” His Papa warned him gently. He nodded, slowly reaching out his hands, put together with his palms up. He stilled, not wanting to scare the froggie as he leaned over the water, before Apple jumped in his hands with a croak.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He giggled happily, pulling the frog close to his chest, “He feels weird, but in a good way!” He said to his parents. They both gave him happy smiles, admiring the creature in his hands. It was only a moment later that the little frog hopped away, but Remus didn’t mind, he’d see plenty of frogs in the future. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He jumped up, looking around for something else to explore. He loved exploring, he didn’t think he could ever get tired of discovering new things. He especially liked when he could play with nature, because of his… what was it his parents said again? Oh, right, ele-...men-tal magicks! </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He grinned as he spotted a patch of brightly coloured flowers, some kinds he hadn’t seen before, and rushed over. “Mama, Papa look at these flowers!” He said excitedly, marvelling in the colourful display.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>His father came over, plucking a pink petalled flower from the ground and swiftly handing it to his mother, who giggled at the gift, “Why, thank you.” She said, lifting the flower to tuck into her long brown hair. His Papa smiled, “It matches your dress today, does it not?” His Mama giggled again, “Aren’t you just such a charmer?” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Remus watched them, then carefully bent down and picked a bright yellow daffodil from the grassy floor. “What have you got there, sweetie?” His Mama asked as she sat down in the grass, watching her son play. “I like this one, my favourite colour is green but yellow is good too. I think green and yellow go good together, but there are no green flowers.” Remus explained. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Well, the grass is green, isn’t it?” His Mama said. He looked down at the grass sticking up between his shoes, “Oh, yeah, it is.” He said, shuffling his feet around in the grass before looking back up at the flower in his hand. “I think green and yellow are nice together, too.” His mother said with a nod, “What do you think pink goes with?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Remus hummed in thought, “I don’t know.” His Mama leaned forward, “Your Papa likes the colour brown.” She whispered. Remus wrinkled his nose, “Brown? That’s so boring!” His mother laughed, “Yes, but pink and brown can be nice together, don’t you think? And besides, i love him, even if he has a bad taste in colours. Love means much more than colours, buttercup.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Remus nodded, not that he really understood, not at the time anyway, he was far too young. But maybe he’d understand one day. He walked over to where his Mama sat, sitting down across from her with his legs crossed. “Do you think i’ll have someone like you have Papa someday?” He asked, looking down at his lap.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Of course, sweetheart. One day, you’ll give a girl a beautiful flower and she’ll love it and you.” Remus huffed, “I wanna give a flower to a boy.” He said, leaving no room for argument. His Mama laughed, “My apologies. You’ll give it to a boy then, and he’ll love you forever and ever, just like me and Papa.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Remus looked down at the yellow flower in his hands, twisting it between his fingers, “Do you think he’ll like daffodils?” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>His mother smiled again, “I’m sure he’ll love them.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>------</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Roman was bored. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Like, super duper mega bored. He groaned, face planting into one of the many pillows on his bed. He wanted a friend to play with, but he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> any. He turned his head so he could probably huff, why wasn’t he ever allowed any friends?</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He wasn’t even allowed to leave the castle, let alone go play with other kids. Stupid rules. Nothing bad was going to happen from him playing a game with some other kids! Why couldn’t his parents see that?</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He had stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him and shutting anyone else out. He didn’t want the company of the countless guards or his dumb nanny, he wanted to just for </span>
  <em>
    <span>once</span>
  </em>
  <span> do a normal kid thing and go </span>
  <em>
    <span>play outside.</span>
  </em>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He loved being a prince, Prince Roman was the best title ever, how could he not love that?, but the rules got tedious, always having someone follow him around and watch everything he’s doing, not letting him make his own decisions on anything, it was exhausting. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He needed somewhere to escape from it all, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>where?</span>
  </em>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He rolled over fully, staring up at the ceiling and he thought. His room was no good, sure, he could shut the door, but people could still come in if ordered by his parents, plus he wanted to go somewhere </span>
  <em>
    <span>new.</span>
  </em>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>That was difficult. He’d explored every inch of the castle he could get away with going too, some of them risky and getting him into some trouble. The most interesting place so far had been the kitchens. Maybe he could sneak back down there and fully explore the cellar this time.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He jumped up, suddenly full of energy for this new-ish adventure. It was the best he was gonna get. He checked outside his door, just a few guards that always patrolled the halls, they wouldn’t say anything about him just passing through. They didn’t know where he was going.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He grinned mischievously to himself as he made his way down to the ground floor of the castle, trying to look casual as he passed the guards on post, luckily not running into any other castle staff along his way. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>However, he glanced behind him and noticed two guards whispering to each other while looking at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shoot,</span>
  </em>
  <span> they must have caught onto the fact he was alone when he was supposed to have someone with him at all times. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Time to make a run for it. He started dashing through the halls, he had to be quick. It made it more thrilling, a time limit on doing something he wasn’t meant to, breaking the rules was way more fun than it should be.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He stopped outside the kitchen, peeking inside to see. It was near empty, only Missy was inside, sweeping the floor. Missy was good, Roman liked her, she never told on him. He stepped inside, gently closing the door behind him so hopefully no one heard. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She looked up at him, then smiled, “Hello there, Prince Roman.” Roman smiled and waved, then pointed to the cellar door. She followed his finger to the door, then looked back up at him and nodded, “You can go in, i’ll cover for you.” She said with a wink.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Roman grinned, “Thanks!” He made his way over, unlatching the door and going down the steps into the cellar. He coughed a few times at the dust, but it was a sort of interesting place, he liked to pretend the barrels could be full of anything, magic fairy dust, slimy squids, pirate treasure, it could be anything! He’d never know, they were sealed shut. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>This time however, his eye caught sight of a small wooden door in the corner of the room, so covered in spider webs and dust it blended in with the grey stone wall. Now </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was something new.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He excitedly grabbed one of the few lanterns from off the wall, taking it with him to the small door, although it was decently sized for him being a kid and all. He brushed a few of the cobwebs away, “Ew.” He stuck his tongue out at his now nasty hand, wiping it on the wall beside him before going to tug on the door handle.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>It was stuck, like, really stuck. He huffed, putting the lantern down to pull with two hands. He tugged and pulled it on for what seemed like forever before it finally gave in, swinging back with a loud creak. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He puffed out a breath, taking a few steps back to look inside. He couldn’t see much, the tunnel almost completely pitch-black. He picked up the lantern once more and took a few cautious steps forward, hey, there could have been some really big spiders in there, okay? </span>
</p><p><br/>
<span>He held the lantern up, but he couldn’t see much apart from more webs and dust. Until suddenly a mouse shot out of nowhere, coming straight for him. He jumped back and the mouse ran past him. He whipped around, trying to see where it went.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He spotted it, hiding underneath one of the shelves. He glanced back at the tunnel and then at the little mouse. The poor thing was probably trapped in there for ages. He hung the lantern back up on the wall and went over to grab a slab of cheese from another shelf, he unwrapped the paper around it as he slowly made his way over to where the creature was hiding.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He steadily bent down, going down to his knees and then leaning even further down until he could see the little mouse, white fur with big eyes under the shelf. He gently offered a small piece of cheese, waiting for the mouse to come forward.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>It slowly did, coming forward to sniff at the offering, then nibbling it from his fingers. He softly laughed, “You're really cute.” He said, he hadn’t seen many animals like this before. He fed the little mouse some more cheese, and then put out just his hand, hoping he’d maybe built up some trust with the small animal. He had to hold in his excited gasp as the white mouse crawled onto his hand, sniffing at him.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He gently lifted up his palm, “Hi there.” He practically whispered, “My name’s Roman. Do you want to be friends?” He knew mice couldn’t speak, of course, but he was surprised with a squeak in reply, as if the small creature understood him.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Squeak? Is that your name?” Roman chuckled, “I like it. I think we can be good friends, don’t you?” He asked, getting another small squeak in reply. His attention was brought back to the mysterious tunnel as a gust of wind blew through the cellar and the door slammed against the wall.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He looked up at it, blinking a few times, right, he was supposed to be exploring it. He placed Squeak gently in his pocket, grabbing another lantern and making his way back over to the darkened tunnel in the wall.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He took in a deep breath, then ducked inside. He coughed a few times more as the dust attacked him, but he made it to the end of the tunnel, reaching another, similar looking door. This one was bigger, he didn’t need to duck to get under it, but it was also stuck, just like the other one.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>It didn’t have a handle on this side, making it even more difficult. He would have to just try and push it open. He put down the light, then using all of his body strength, pushed against the door. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>It once again took several tries, but the door swung open and brightness flooded his vision. He leaned back, covering his face with his hand, the sudden light change hurting his eyes. He moved his hand away, blinking to readjust his eyes, and that’s when he realised where he was.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The fresh air filled his lungs and it was the sun that was hurting his eyes, because he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>outside the castle</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He gasped, looking around at the trees surrounding him, he found a way outside! There were no guards around, absolutely no one, just him.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He heard a sound and Squeak jumped out of his pocket, running around in circles on the grass in front of him. He giggled at the mouse’s antics, he couldn’t believe he’d actually found a way out, and by the looks of it, no one else knew about it. It clearly hadn’t been used in forever.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He sat down in the grass, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> got to just sit in grass like that. Because of the dirt, or whatever. He didn’t like being grubby either but his parents seriously took it to the extreme, sitting in the grass was nice, it felt fresh and soft, it wasn’t going to hurt him.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He let out a sigh, he’d had to go back in soon, before anyone caught on and found his escape, but right then, all he wanted to do was sit in the sun. Squeak ran up to join him and he picked the little creature up in his hands. Sit in the sun and relax with his first friend, a little white mouse. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He smiled, it was a good day. </span>
  <span></span><br/>

  <span></span><br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*sniffles* remus' was so fluffy but we know they're dead and that makes it so SAD-</p><p>Also, if you're wondering about the context behind what happened to virgil, don't worry, you're gonna find out.... hehehe....</p><p>aaaaaaaaaaaaa- hope you enjoyed le bonus stories- i realised that in my last one i missed the chance to call it "bonus chapter 2: electric boogaloo" and i will never forgive myself for it.</p><p>Just a warning, the next actual storyline chapter still might not be out for a while, and i'm sorry about that. I've been writing this story for like 7 months now and i've only taken a few like 1-2 week breaks and i just really need to chill, but i didn't wanna leave you guys with nothing so you got a bonus chapter! i hope it can tide you over until the next chapter is up, which i really hope won't be too long but i don't wanna burn myself out... again. I've done it a lot yikes- but yeah, hope you understand and i also hope you liked this chapter!</p><p>toodles noodles &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0052"><h2>52. Everything Stays</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I'M BACK BITCHES WOOOOOOOOOO- goD i wanna finish this story SO BADLY- i love it but my god it's been like 7-8 months at this point and im so FUCKING DONE- i think it'll be around 56-58 chapters, so we're gettin' there! </p><p>Warnings: mentions of death (that's just a thing with this story now, huh?)  and blood (also just a thing now- yikes-)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><span><br/></span><span>The throne room in the castle of Avia was big, a grand hall filled with shiny regal things to show off and chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. And currently, it was filled with more guards than Roman had ever seen in his life. And he’d literally lived in this castle his entire life. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The guards were under orders to not hurt him or Patton, but he was still restrained with his hands behind his back. He couldn’t think of any way to get out of this, one wrong move and they’d be heads on the floor. He glanced behind him, but noticed that one of the guards was carrying an unconscious body, who--? </span><em><span>Virgil.</span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><em><span><br/></span></em><span>Panic struck him, what happened to him? Was he</span><em><span> okay</span></em><span>? After what had just happened, he didn’t trust any part of his brain telling him Virgil was okay. He was conscious a minute ago, what </span><em><span>happened</span></em><span>?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span> He wished he could rush over and take his stormcloud into his own arms, but he couldn’t, despite being one of the two princes they’d been searching after this entire time, he was still restrained, just without the threat of a sword at his throat. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It’s not like he could do anything alone anyways, he had nothing but his bare hands and taking on countless guards wouldn’t help them at all. And besides, he knew all too well by now that if he did try to pull something right then and there, there would be no hesitance to threaten another life in return. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>If he fought back, within a second, he could see the life drain out of another one of his friends eyes. He couldn’t lose anyone else, they’d already lost one person because of this mess. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil may have been unconscious but Remus was still struggling and fighting against the guards, he could have taken a decent amount of them down but he was inches away from having his throat slit, a risk that at that point, not even Remus was willing to take. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He was still yelling, words Roman couldn’t quite get his brain to register, when suddenly he was cut off, by heavy footsteps followed by a deep voice that instantly quietened the entire room. A voice Roman hadn’t heard in months, a voice he didn’t particularly miss.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It was only then that it hit him how long it’d been since he’d been here, being a prince in this castle, small-minded from the way he’d been raised, not realising how much his life was just a </span><em><span>trap, </span></em><span>and seeing his…</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span> “Why, hello there, it’s been a while, hm, </span><em><span>son</span></em><span>?” His </span><em><span>parents.</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>His father’s voice, forever holding up the sound of a commanding king as his voice filled the entire hall. Yet he was only looking at Roman, directly into his son’s eyes, as if were only them.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He had too many conflicting emotions all overlapping each other, anger, for definite, for an unbelievable amount of reasons. They’d wronged and hurt so many in so many ways, it made Roman furious. Sadness, too, again for many different things, but mostly after learning what his parents had done to so many innocent people, as much as it angered him it also made his heart ache.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He looked up, his father was standing there, his mother beside him, the rulers of Deria stood aside them. All of them were standing in front of the grand, red and golden decorated thrones. All of the things in the castle Roman saw as regal and beautiful before suddenly made his stomach churn.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Upon seeing her son up close, the Queen of Deria gasped, “Oh, Patton, my darling, what happened to your </span><em><span>arm</span></em><span>?” The guard who held Patton let go and the Queen immediately pulled him forward, poking and prodding at him and squishing his face. “Are you </span><em><span>cursed?</span></em><span> What is that </span><em><span>vile</span></em><span> looking thing?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Mother- i-” Patton pushed her away gently, “I’m fine… i’m- we’re not entirely sure… what it is.” Patton mumbled. His mother shook her head and squeezed him into a hug tightly, “I’m so glad you’re back! I’m sorry you were kidnapped by these </span><em><span>monsters.</span></em><span>” She looked up with a glowering face at her last word. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Patton shook his head, “No, no i wasn’t-” He began, trying to explain, but his mother cut him off swiftly, “Don’t worry darling, it’s alright.” She said, placing a small kiss on the top of his head. Patton furrowed his brows, looking like he wanted to argue, but he snapped his mouth shut when his father sent him a warning look.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The King of Avia looked up, a small smile crawling onto his face, “Say, i do believe i see a familiar looking face. Tell me, where may i have seen you before?” He asked, Roman looked back to see who he was talking too, panic shooting through him when he realised he was looking at Remus.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remus was looking at him with the most enraged, demented look Roman had ever seen, you could practically see raging fire in his eyes, “</span><em><span>Maybe </span></em><span>because you keep TAKING THE PEOPLE I LOVE </span><em><span>AWAY FROM ME</span></em><span>!”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The King raised a quizzical, amused eyebrow. He glanced to one of the guards beside him for an explanation. “One of the deadly duo, the snake scaled man, is dead, your highness. We believe he was killed by head guard James or perhaps The Dark Creature. Under your orders, i presume, sir.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The King hummed, “Not my </span><em><span>direct</span></em><span> orders, but,” He smiled at Remus as if this were </span><em><span>any kind</span></em><span> of friendly situation, “It’s still a good riddance, don’t you think?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>At those words, Remus attempted to lunge at him, he managed to break the restraints holding his back but with so many guards and so many weapons at hand all around them, he couldn’t get far because a sword was slicing the back of his head.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It didn’t hit anything critical, thank </span><em><span>god,</span></em><span> but it was enough to stop him, blood dripping down from above his neck. It wasn’t intended to seriously injure him, it was just a reminder, something to keep him in line. Roman felt sick, this is how his parents ran things, they gave people cruel reminders, threats, punishments to keep people knowing their place. They got rid of the people they didn’t see as </span><em><span>worth enough</span></em><span>. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>They didn’t want to burn the world, they wouldn’t kill and be rid of everyone, they wanted to </span><em><span>control it</span></em><span>, get rid of what they saw as unfixable scum and keep the rest on the brink, knowing that at any second they could have </span><em><span>everything</span></em><span> pulled out from under their feet.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>How had he not seen it </span><em><span>before?</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>His father’s gaze fell to him once more, he raised an eyebrow at the guard still keeping Roman restrained, “Let him go.” He said smoothly. Immediately, the guard did, and Roman stumbled forward slightly from the release.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>In a second, his father’s voice was booming over him again, “Roman, do you have an explanation for </span><em><span>any</span></em><span> of this?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman sent him the hardest death stare he could manage, which was difficult considering the height difference, his father was already taller than him but he was also standing steps above Roman, they always stood on platforms and pedestals, so they could be higher than everyone else. So they could look down on everyone else. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Don’t fucking talk to me, your </span><em><span>dead to me.</span></em><span>” He spat.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>There was a split second of surprise across the King’s face before it was replaced with a look of angered annoyance. “How dare you speak to me like that, i am your </span><em><span>father</span></em><span>, show me some </span><em><span>respect!</span></em><span>”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“How about you fucking EARN some respect?? You are </span><em><span>nothing</span></em><span> but a cruel </span><em><span>MONSTER!” </span></em><span>Roman growled at him, “I swear, i--” He took a step forward, he had a </span><em><span>hell of a lot</span></em><span> more to say, but he couldn’t get them out before his father interjected with his own angry words.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“That is </span><em><span>ENOUGH!” </span></em><span>He bellowed, “I will </span><em><span>not</span></em><span> stand here and get yelled at by my ungrateful, disrespectful, </span><em><span>incompetent</span></em><span> brat of a son!</span><em><span> I</span></em><span> am in charge here!” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I’m</span><em><span> not </span></em><span>your son.” The words were spoken so quietly, so full of hatred and rage yet so delicate at the same time. It was silent, shocked, speechless silence for a minute, Roman had never seen his father look so speechless before.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The King of Deria stepped forward, “King Arthur, if i may, this wedding has been held off long enough, don’t you think? We have the princes, i say we get on with it, don’t you agree?” Roman’s heart stopped cold, </span><em><span>the wedding</span></em><span>. He’d somehow almost forgotten, so caught up in his own fury and other bubbling emotions that were swarming his brain.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>His father cleared his throat, “Yes, i agree. Take the rest of them to the dungeons, we will execute them after the ceremony. The kingdoms shall be rejoiced that the princes are back, and have been saved from their…” He glanced at Roman, giving him a knowing look, “Unfortunate </span><em><span>kidnapping.”</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>As the guards turned, heading in the direction of the dungeons, it hit Roman that it was happening, he needed to do something, he couldn’t let his friends just </span><em><span>die,</span></em><span> he rushed forward but a hand grabbed his arm and yanked him back.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I don’t think so. You're not running off again, not this time. Whether you like it or not, you </span><em><span>are</span></em><span> my son, and you are going to get married.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>--</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The dungeons were just as dark, musty and cold as Logan remembered them from the first time he met Virgil and... Janus, he swallowed. He’d never stop seeing the horrific image of a dead body surrounded by a pool of blood. However, this time he was in the dungeons, he, along with the people he’d grown to call close friends, were the ones being led through the cold, damp corridor, like men being led to the gallows. Except they were, maybe not right then, but it was only a matter of time.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Hey, witch hat, hand over the staff. Witches are </span><em><span>banned</span></em><span> in Avia.” One of the guards barked at Remy. Remy glared at him, “That didn’t stop you using one to sniff Janus and Virgil out like a bloodhound. Did it?” He shot, biting anger in his tone, but there was a slight shake in his voice.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Give it.” The guard demanded. “Don’t have it.” Remy shrugged, he held out his arms to show he was hiding nothing, “See?” The guard sneered at him, but he couldn’t find anything and begrudgingly gave up. Logan had no idea where Remy’s staff had gone, he could of </span><em><span>sworn</span></em><span> the other had it a minute ago. However, another guard was more successful in their search.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“This one’s got one.” The other guard said, they pulled Emile’s staff from him, and carelessly shoved him back into the cell. Emile hit the wall with a thud, hitting his head against the stone. Remy growled at the guard, who only smirked and walked away, gripping Emile’s staff in hand. Now they had no way of doing witchcraft, either.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>They’d already been separated from Patton and Roman, but as Logan glanced around he realised he didn’t catch a glimpse of Virgil in the cell, and a brief strike of panic shot through him, until another different guard walked forward, carrying Virgil’s unconscious body. The guard tossed Virgil at him as if it wasn’t, you know, a </span><em><span>person.</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He barely caught Virgil before he crashed into the ground, he looked even paler than usual and it sent worry through Logan’s body. He lifted Virgil into his arms, looking back up at the guard with a bewildered look, “What </span><em><span>happened</span></em><span> to him?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>When did he pass out? How hadn’t he </span><em><span>noticed? </span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The guard merely shrugged, “I don’t know, the kid just conked out on me. Not my problem.” And with that, the cell door was slammed shut, sending the echo of loud metal clanking through the dungeons. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You okay, Emy?” Logan turned as Remy’s voice registered in his ears, he was kneeling beside Emile, who nodded at the question. “Yeah, my head hurts a little but i’m alright.” He answered. Remy helped him up and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, “Good.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remy’s attention and worry was then turned to Remus, who had gone uncharacteristically quiet. Completely silent, staring into nothingness. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Just looking at his face you could see why, see the blank expression and hollow emptiness behind his eyes. He looked so </span><em><span>broken.</span></em><span> Remy gently cupped his face, “Hey bud, how’s your head?” He asked. He got no answer, his frown deepened, he waited but it was clear he wasn’t getting any response. He carefully turned Remus’ head to check the cut himself, scanning it over with his eyes.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“It’s not too bad, i think you’ll be okay.” He said softly. It didn’t look like Remus even heard him. This was bad, Remus was </span><em><span>never</span></em><span> like this, he was utterly </span><em><span>done.</span></em><span> Everything about this was bad, everyone was </span><em><span>hurt</span></em><span> and there was no</span><em><span> fix.</span></em><span> They couldn’t </span><em><span>do</span></em> <em><span>anything</span></em><span>.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>They were stuck in a cell, in a dungeon, guards patrolling each cell, not to mention the countless guards surrounding every inch of the castle, the security higher than ever since they stepped foot inside the castle’s walls. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>They had </span><em><span>nothing</span></em><span>, they could only wait, wait and watch as the last strands they were gripping onto slipped away, everything they’d been fighting to stop and save disappeared, as the little time they had faded away as their inevitable deaths crept closer.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>--</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Oh </span><em><span>god,</span></em><span> this place </span><em><span>reeks.</span></em><span>” A guard, a black haired woman by the name of Raven, complained as she stepped into the small, darkened room behind the grey door. The other guard with her, a man named Reese, rolled his eyes.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Uh, yeah, a dead body is rotting in here.” He huffed, pushing past Raven to take the lead down the staircase. She crossed her arms, “God, what even happened to the guy? He’s one of the deadly duo, right?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Reese nodded, “Yeah… not entirely sure how he died, but i’m getting it was… messy.” He said, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, “... Very messy.” Raven shuddered as she reached the bottom step, it was a deeply unpleasant scene to look at, even for a guard who saw blood all the time.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“He must of done something really bad, huh? I heard he and the other guy were the ones who kidnapped the princes.” She said, glancing around the eerie murder scene of a room. Reese took a few, slow steps forward, “Yeah… although i heard that might be complete bullshit. Some people think the princes ran away or something. Doesn’t explain how the deadly duo escaped in the first place.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What are we supposed to do with the body?” Raven asked, gazing over the crumpled lifeless form on the floor. Reese shrugged, “I don’t know. Our orders were just to ‘get rid of it’. Not very helpful. Everyone’s pretty distracted right now, something’s happened in the cellar i think.”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Raven puffed out a breath, “They never tell us anything around here.” She walked over to the body, cringing as the blood sloshed underneath her shoes. How much blood did this guy </span><em><span>have?</span></em><span> She didn’t know much about magicks users, but she’d heard that their bodies were stronger and lasted longer than a regular human’s.</span><span><br/></span><span>“I guess we just bury him or something.” Reese said, walking over to join Raven’s side. Raven bent down, “Yeah, i guess… wow, this guy had a creepy face.” Reese raised an eyebrow, “Doesn’t he have scales or something?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Raven nodded, she moved around to the other side of the body to get a better look, “Yeah, he’s like--” She suddenly stopped, freezing in place. Reese blinked a few times, looking down at her, “Raven?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>She shot back, breaths coming out heavy, eyes wide with shock. “Raven?” Reese tried again, he was starting to get a little worried, Raven looked like she’d just seen a ghost or something. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>She opened her mouth a few times, words seemingly failing to come out, until, </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Holy </span><em><span>shit.</span></em><span>” </span><span></span><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>UwU wHat'S thIs???</p><p>i'm so sorry please don't stop reading this fic because of that- lMAO- SOOOO- </p><p>i'm sorry this took so long aaaaaa- it's really difficult for me, especially now so close to the end, to get chapters out. The ending is long and complex and there's a lot of stuff like action scenes i have to write which i'm not looking forward too lmao- rn, roman and patton are boutta be forced to get married and the others are gonna die and janus is already fucking dead so like- uh- thERES A LOT GOIN ON-</p><p>but yeah, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter even though it's a fairly slow one- i'll tell you now that the next one is focused completely on Roman and Patton, so that's gonna be FuNNNNNN-</p><p>anyways, toodles for now &lt;3 (hopefully the next chapter won't take as long i'm so sorry for the long waits between chapters aaaah-)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0053"><h2>53. Ready As I'll Ever Be</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Roman and Patton are done.</p><p>Chapter warning: knives</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Roman was a kid, he imagined his wedding day like any wishful child would. With roses and white lilies, and everyone dressed in reds and whites, dresses and suits, the place would be decorated with beautiful white and gold. And that he’d have the perfect person standing next to him, someone he’d love more than anything.<br/><br/>It should have been a perfect, magical day he’d cherish forever. Not like this.<br/><br/>Not having been ripped away from his friends, the people he loved, the person he <em> wanted </em> to be with, then forced into a white suit and to put on a fake smile, act like everything was fine. Nothing was fine. Everything was the complete opposite of fucking <em> fine. </em><br/><br/>Everything was forced and fake. It always <em> had </em> been. Despite the fact that the princes had totally different hair and eyes since they were last seen in the kingdom, the royals seemed determined to pretend absolutely nothing had changed. They couldn’t exactly change it back without the help of any magic, but no one said that, only acting as if things were exactly the same as they had been before.<br/><br/>Everything had changed. And Roman <em> hated </em> being back there. Even in his own room, the room he’d grown up, the room he’d had for <em> years </em> , he still felt out of place. He’d never exactly felt at home on that ship either, but he felt at home with the people he was around. And now they were gone, he would lose them forever, and he couldn’t do a fucking thing about it.<br/><br/>He’d spent so many years being just another tool in his parents’ twisted game, and now he’d finally opened his eyes, he was still stuck, trapped, unable to escape a fate he’d hoped he’d long left behind.<br/><br/>He looked over at his door, it was locked, he knew it was. No one explicitly told him he was locked in, he just knew. He was going to fall for any of his parents bullshit anymore. But that didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t going to be let out until the ceremony. He felt like a child who was being grounded, but he hadn’t done a child-like crime of stealing an extra cookie. He’d done a lot worse, and the punishment was coming accordingly.<br/><br/>That’s what it was. It wasn’t for peace between kingdoms anymore, at that point, it was just a bitter punishment. Something to keep them tied down. They’d always be there, always been in sight, they wouldn’t be able to pull anything like that again once they were married.<br/><br/>Roman wished he could say that the higher power he’d have would give him the chance to save his beloved friends, but he knew that by then, it’d be too late.<br/><br/>He needed out. He couldn’t just stand there and let anymore time be wasted, he had to at least <em> try </em> and help himself, help Patton, help everyone else. He wouldn’t be useless, not again, not like he’d been the rest of his life, sitting around thinking he was the most important person on the planet with the obliviousness of a clueless child while innocent people’s lives were ruined.<br/><br/>Never again.<br/><br/>He needed to <em> get out </em> . He glanced at the window, he was far too high up, there was no way he could survive that height. He only had one option, the door. The locked door. With most possibly several guards standing outside, guards with weapons and an order to not let him out.<br/><br/>That could be a <em> bit </em> of a problem.<br/><br/>He huffed to himself, looking around his room for anything he could use. He wasn’t sure what he would do, but he could think of something, right? However, it being a prince’s bedroom on the top of a tower, there wasn’t much to work with. <em> Shit. </em> <em><br/></em><br/>He went over to his dresser, slamming his fists down on it in resentment, causing it to shake. He put his head in his hands, groaning in frustration as he gripped his hair, what the <em> fuck </em> what he was supposed to do?<br/><br/>He looked up, running his hands through his hair, and was met with the sight of himself in the mirror. He stared and his stressed, angered and doomed-feeling self stared back. He’d managed to keep his hair, at least, it was stupid, but having his longer locks of hair was sort of comforting.<br/><br/>It reminded him of Virgil. All of a sudden the face in the mirror dropped. The hair was bittersweet, but now he was definitely feeling the bitter, antagonizing part of it. He needed to get out of this room, because, <em> god </em> , if he didn’t, he’d lose his best friend, his other close friends, and the purple haired, mismatched eyed stormcloud he loved.<br/><br/>He caught sight of a few things strewn about his dresser from when he’d had people all over him, obsessively brushing and messing with his hair, and repeatedly fixing his suit before he was finally left alone. More specifically, he saw a clip sitting next to the hairbrush.<br/><br/>It was small and around the right shape, right? He didn’t know much about lock-picking but he’d had a lot of <em> interesting </em> conversations with Remus where he’d picked up a lot of <em> interesting </em> things. He tried not to think about it too much, but this might actually be helpful.<br/><br/>How to pick a lock was by far the least weird of the things Remus knew. He grabbed the clip and hurried over to the door. He had to be quick, if he managed to unlock the door he’d have to knock the guards out fast. He hoped there weren’t too many out there, he wasn’t exactly trained in combat.<br/><br/>He grabbed a heavy wooden box from his desk also, it was supposed to be for holding jewelry and such, but it was weighty and tough, so today, it was a weapon for knocking people out.<br/><br/>He jammed in the clip, wiggling it around, he wasn’t really sure what else to do with it. Maybe he needed to move it more strategically. He twisted it until he felt something, and went back to aggressively wiggling it around.<br/><br/>By some miracle, it <em> worked </em> . The lock clicked and Roman’s instincts kicked in, he grabbed the box from beside him and pulled the door open. There were two guards standing directly outside his door, they both turned immediately, reaching for their weapons, but Roman was faster.<br/><br/>He slammed the first guard straight over the head, sending them flying back into the wall. “HEY!” The other barked at him, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. He kicked the guards’s leg, causing them to let go of his arm, and he took the chance to swing at them.<br/><br/>They stumbled back and Roman delivered a quick punch, feeling that would be enough to at least render them useless to fight. Sure enough, it worked, the guard slumping to the ground. The other groaned and winced, but was still conscious, Roman spun around and struck them in the stomach before they could even pull out their sword and they went down, leaving him standing between the two, breathing heavily.<br/><br/>That… holy <em> shit. </em> How did he even do that? He’d picked up a lot more than he thought during his months at sea. He had had a lot of sparing battles with Virgil, after all. Still, no time to waste. He didn’t know how long he’d been stuck in his room, he could have less than ten minutes to… hell, he didn’t even know what he was doing.<br/><br/>He didn’t have a solid plan, he was running on adrenaline, a need to just get <em> out. </em> But he didn’t know <em> how. </em> He caught a glimpse of something shiny sticking out of one of the guards belts. It was a needle point, why did the guard have a knife like that? It wasn’t what they usually carried. <em> Stop asking questions and grab it, Roman! </em> His brain scolded him.<br/><br/><em> Right. </em> An impulsive plan formed in his mind, horribly risky and messy, so much he could feel his hand shaking as he grabbed the needle point from the guard's belt. It was something he’d never be able to take back, with irreversible consequences.<br/><br/>And hell if anyone was going to stop him going through with it.<br/><br/>They were the only two guards in that particular hallway, luckily. But he had no doubt there was more outside. At least it seemed he hadn’t caused too much commotion. Good, he didn’t need a bunch more guards storming in to see what the noise was.<br/><br/>He hid the knife away behind his back and strode down the hallway, he wasn’t going to wait around for someone to find him. He was going to make this happen, now.<br/><br/>He reached the doors at the end of the hallway and pulled them open. Standing directly outside the door as if she were about to knock was his parents royal advisor. She blinked a few times, fist still raised in the air, clearly surprised by his sudden presence.<br/><br/>She cleared her throat, straightening herself out, “Ah, Prince Roman. I was about to come and get you, but i see your guards must have already been informed it’s time.” She said. “Yes.” Roman lied, looking calm on the outside but internally desperately praying she wouldn’t look back as see the unconscious guards on the ground.<br/><br/>“Wonderful. Are you ready?” She asked. It was a small question, and she was of course asking about the ceremony. But to Roman, it was a much, much bigger and deeper question, and it wasn’t about the wedding at all.<br/><br/>Roman gripped the knife tightly with one hand behind his back, slowly sliding it away to be hidden from view.<br/><br/>“Ready as i’ll ever be.”<br/><br/>--<br/><br/>“Prince Patton?”<br/><br/>Patton looked up at the call, seeing his <em> new </em> royal advisor was standing in front of him. He must have zoned out, realising he had been staring down at the floor. His mind was all over the place. She smiled at him, “We’re almost done. We just need to put these on.” She said, holding up a pair of white gloves.<br/><br/>He didn’t want her there. It wasn’t that she wasn’t a nice person, she seemed rather friendly actually, and Patton was never one to judge before he really knew someone, but she was a replacement. He didn’t want to be there at all but at least it would be better with Emile by his side.<br/><br/>But he <em> couldn’t </em> have Emile there. He’d probably never get to see him again. He wouldn’t get to see any of them again, he’d never again see Emile’s happy smile when he was talking about Remy, or Remy’s equally fond smile when talking about Emile.<br/><br/>He wouldn’t again get the chance to give Virgil a hug and see him go from unsure and slightly nervous about the contact to melting into the embrace because he really needed a good hug.<br/><br/>He wouldn’t get the surprise of seeing whatever new thing Remus was up to, wether it be a prank or a dangerous, blood-filled disaster, Remus was always considerate enough to warn Patton first, even if it was sometimes a <em> little </em> too late.<br/><br/>He’d never get to see Logan again and tell him the <em> truth </em> .<br/><br/>He’d never gotten the time to stop being such a coward about it, deterred from all of Logan’s comments about the others' relationships. It scared him away from being honest with Logan about his feelings, but he regretted it deeply now.<br/><br/>“Prince Patton?” He’d zoned out again.<br/><br/>He ignored the tears growing in his eyes. He didn’t want to have to deal with the new royal adivsor asking why he was crying all of a sudden, not to mention how <em> un-princely </em> it was to cry.<br/><br/>“Sorry.” He mumbled, looking up from where his eyes had once again fallen to the floor. The new royal advisor, Patton thought her name was Meredith, was holding out the pair of gloves.<br/><br/>She slid the silky gloves on, and as the glove slid on his left hand, it covered the last of the black marking that had made its way down to his hand. He stared at his now white clad hand.<br/><br/>“There, all covered up. The King and Queen already have many people trying to figure out how to get rid of it.” Meredith said.<br/><br/>Patton’s breath hitched in his throat as he was suddenly thrown into a flashback.<br/><br/><br/><em> Patt</em><em>on rubbed the darkened parts of his left arm, everytime he poked it he felt a little fuzzy feeling, it was strange. He noticed Janus glance over at him a few times, making the tense silence between them even worse. Patton had no idea what he was thinking, he really wished he could read minds sometimes. </em></p><p>
  <em> "You.... get used to it after a while." Janus said finally. Patton looked up at him questioningly, caught off guard by his sudden words. Janus continued, "Having... something weird, an abnormal body part like that."  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "People stare and give you looks, it's just... yeah." Janus shrugged, he shrugged it off as if it didn’t bother him but Patton had a suspicious feeling it did. Patton nodded, the image of the other side of Janus' face with the patch of scales over his eye flashed in his mind. That was subjectively worse than how his arm looked.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "How did you.... even deal with that when you were younger?" Patton asked, rubbing his arm up and down. Janus shrugged once more, "I don't know. It took me a long time to accept it... and even now, if i could, i'd get rid of them."  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "What about... the snake?" Patton continued. Janus went quiet beside him, but kept walking forward. Patton assumed he didn’t want to talk about it, keeping his own mouth shut as they searched the forest. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> "It..." He began talking again after a while, causing Patton to look up at him, "It just happened. The first time, it just happened, and even i didn't know i could do it. We were... in danger, and at the time we were pretty young and outnumbered, and i guess out of instinct it just happened."  </em>
</p><p><em> Patton slowly nodded, getting the feeling he shouldn’t pry for details, then turned his attention back to his arm. It really did feel weird. But Janus had been dealing with this his entire life, so who was Patton to complain? </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> There was absolutely no stopping the tears that welled in his eyes at the memory, <em> god </em> it hurt. Patton had always been told he was overly emotional and often felt he could feel others pain, and right then he could feel an agonizing pit in his stomach and a heavy, brick like weight on his chest.<br/><br/>Meredith frowned, “What’s wrong?” She asked. Patton went to wipe away his tears, shaking his head, but she stopped him, grabbing a handkerchief instead. Right, it would be absolutely <em> absurd </em> for a <em> Prince </em> to use his <em> hand </em> to wipe away a tear.<br/><br/>Crying wouldn’t help him, no matter how much he wanted to curl up and do nothing but it right then. Nothing was going to help him, really, was it?  He was stuck, helpless, unable to do anything but accept his miserable fate. And it <em> crushed </em> him.<br/><br/>“Ah, let’s get these off, shall we? The King and Queen wouldn’t be too happy to see you still wearing them, i don’t think.” Meredith said, reaching for the glasses perched on his face. He’d almost forgotten he never used to wear them, he’d gotten so used to them sitting on the end of his nose.<br/><br/>He couldn’t see properly without them, anything that wasn’t close to his face was blurred, gosh knows how he got so far in life without them. So, as Meredith reached out to take them, he instinctively went to stop her.<br/><br/>Although he surprised even himself with how fast his arm shot out, grabbing Meredith’s and gripping it tight, stopping her cold in her tracks.<br/><br/>“I need these to <em> see. </em> ” He said simply, narrowing his eyes at her. He was helpless to do anything but accept his fate, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. It was very unlike him to be bitter, but he’d told himself he had to stop being such a pushover, and he meant it, he wasn’t taking any shit from anyone if he could help it.<br/><br/>Meredith blinked a few times, then took a few steps back, putting her hands down by her sides. “My apologies, Prince Patton.” She said, bowing her head.<br/><br/>That wasn’t what Patton wanted. He’d never wanted to be seen as higher than everyone else for a title he was born with, it wasn’t fair. He didn’t want respect from a meaningless title, he wanted respect that he’d earned.<br/><br/>He was done being a prince. “It’s Patton. Just Patton. It always has been.”<br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i- i know, im just as upset about all this dragging out as you are, trust me.</p><p>Next chapter is fucking ACTION and i am going to DIE trying to write it, please bare with me, it might take a while. AAAA-</p><p>i hope you enjoyed this, it took me a long time, and lots of wanting to cry, and scream, and wanting to snap my mouse in half. </p><p>So. Yeah.</p><p>toodles!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0054"><h2>54. It All Comes Back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Raven and Reese are hit with something very, very unexpected.</p><p>Warnings: Panic attack (sort of, but like... big yikes) Remus' intrusive thoughts come back for the funsies, DO I EVEN NEED TO PUT MENTION OF DEATH AT THIS POINT?!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What?”<br/>
<br/>
Reese rushed to Raven’s side to see what had made her face white like she’d just seen a ghost. And, well, maybe it wasn’t quite a ghost, but it wasn’t far off. Reese couldn’t believe his eyes, the huge stab wound mark was… was <em>healing. </em>Like... it was <em>fixing itself</em>.<br/>
<br/>
A glow of purple essence seemed to be doing the job, as the blood pooling the floor seemed to evaporate into nothingness, no longer soaking the soles of their shoes, gone as if it were never there in the first place. The wound deep in the man’s back slowly stitched itself back together, with invisible stiches, like it was working in reverse time. Reese couldn't seem to pull his eyes away, a faint golden glow sat on the man's chest as the purple cloudy dust moved around it, almost excitedly, like it was greeting an old friend. <br/>
<br/>
No wonder Raven was staring like that, it was unbelievable, what kind of magic, it was magic, wasn't it?, could heal the <em>dead?</em> That’s what was happening, wasn’t it? The wound that had killed him was… fixing itself. It was fixing <em>him.</em><br/>
<br/>
“What the <em>fuck </em>is happening?” He muttered in disbelief. Raven was wordlessly shaking her head beside him, clearly also in total disbelief and bewilderment at this. What caused this? Was... was it really healing a body that had been dead for <em>hours</em>? Where did it even<em> come from</em>? He’d been a regular dead body two seconds ago!<br/>
<br/>
They both watched with wide eyes, as if they were in some sort of trance, as the wound cured, until it was nothing but a long, twisting scar across his skin. The purple magic died away, plunging the room back into the darkness it had been before, neither of them had realised how much light it was providing. <br/>
<br/>
It was silent. Did… did that really just <em>happen</em>? Truly, Reese couldn't believe his eyes, but he'd just <em>seen it,</em> and Raven had too, surely she had, from the look on her face. Was something else going to happen? Was he going to turn into some sort of undead creature? Was this guy <em>cursed</em> or something? Was--<br/>
<br/>
He moved. He <em>moved.</em> Both Reese and Raven completely froze, dead bodies didn’t move like that. <em>Dead bodies don't move like that! </em>And then he moved <em>again.</em> Reese shot back against the wall, breathing heavily, “What the <em>fuck</em>--” He glanced at Raven to see if she saw it too, what the fuck was <em>happening?</em> Raven’s breath hitched in her throat, she stood from the crouch, slowly backing up, shaking her head slowly in disbelief.<br/>
<br/>
“Holy shit,” She breathed, “He’s <em>alive.</em>”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Holy shit.” </em>The words rung faintly, sounding distant and fuzzy, what the---? Where...? What...? How...?<br/>
<br/>
Holy shit.<br/>
<br/>
Holy,<br/>
<br/>
<em>Shit. </em></p><p>He <em>was alive.</em> Living, breathing, <em>alive.</em> Wait, was he at some point <em>not</em> alive? Something in his brain told him yes, but trying to think about it sent a shock of pain through his already pounding-like-hell head, like muddled, forbidden and hidden away memories he was supposed to forget. Things he was supposed to forget... that wasn't new. <br/>
<br/>
Talking of his head, it definitely wasn’t just his head. Everything hurt as badly as it possibly <em>could,</em> he could feel every little poke or hit he’d ever felt, from the small to the downright life threatening. He could feel <em>everything</em>. And god, it hurt <em>so badly.</em><br/>
<br/>
What the fuck <em>happened</em> to him? He--<br/>
<br/>
<strong><em>Snap.</em></strong><br/>
<br/>
<em>“Such a clever boy, but we can’t have you running off to tell the others or having them hear your scream, now, can we?” </em><em><br/>
</em><em><br/>
</em><em>“JANUS!”</em><em><br/>
</em><em><br/>
</em><em>“Oh god- oh god, Janus, please be alive-”</em><em><br/>
</em><em><br/>
</em><b><em>“NO!”</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b>Everything came flooding back, even memories of only darkness and wavering voices around him, only faint snippets of memories as he had felt himself slowly drain of life. That’s what happened.<br/>
<br/>
<em>d̴̢̨̥̫̞̟̥̰̫̥̘̬̞͕͚̓͂̓̒̔̏͗̈́̔̅̐͠͠ę̵͔͒ǎ̴̗̮̠͈̓̐̏͆̇͆͠t̵̗͉̫̘̜͖͕͙̻̝̦̀̎̀͛̿͑̊͛͠h̵͓̦̲̱͉̘̉̔̋happened. </em>He- he was attacked, he was attacked and stabbed, by- by--<br/>
<br/>
<em>Remus.</em> It… it couldn’t have been him, really, could it? He wouldn’t… he <em>wouldn't-...</em><br/>
<br/>
Wait, where even <em>was</em> he? The ground beneath him was cold and hard, and he couldn’t see shit. He forced his eyes open, but he still couldn’t see, everything was blurred and his vision was clouded by black and white spots. His entire body was aching, it felt cold, he didn't feel quite alive, despite the air pumping through his lungs.<br/>
<br/>
“You think he’s really <em>alive</em>?” Unfamiliar voices registered in his ears, he could hear a little clearer now, but it was still buzzing like an old broken TV, “Fuck, i don’t know, what if it’s like… a <em>zombie</em>?” Well, Janus didn’t <em>feel</em> like a zombie, but he didn’t exactly feel… whole. Not empty, just… not quite whole anymore. <em>Huh.</em><br/>
<br/>
Wait, he was just lying on the floor in a room with <em>strangers.</em> What the <em>hell</em> was he doing!? He attempted to get up, but miserably failed, his body refusing to cooperate. He only succeeded in sending pulses of pain through his entire body. But it was still enough of a movement to alert the strangers in the room, and their voices suddenly stopped and he heard the distinct sound of a sword being pulled out. <em>Shit. Shit, shit shit-</em><br/>
<br/>
“Reese! You can’t <em>stab</em> him, he-” A female voice said, cutting herself off. She swallowed, lowering her voice, “He was <em>dead</em> a few moments ago.” A screaming pain shot through Janus’ head, shit, he… actually <em>died. Died. Died. Died.</em> The word taunted him, he... wasn't supposed to know this, was he? How the <em>hell</em> was he even alive right now?<br/>
<br/>
“What if he was <em>faking?</em>” The male voice shot, “People don’t just- come back alive, Raven!” <em>Well, he has a point. Joan knows why i’m alive right now. My body certainly didn’t get the message,</em> Janus thought to himself. Coming back from the dead was... well, <em>impossible</em>.<br/>
<br/>
He tried to say something, he wasn’t really sure what, maybe “Hey, don’t stab me”, but he could barely get anything out, just a strangled noise that didn’t mean anything. <em>Good job, Janus.</em><br/>
<br/>
He really needed to get up and get <em>out</em> of wherever he was before he was attacked. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get up, and every time he failed it only brought another wave of aching pain. It was frustrating and painful as hell, what was going on? He didn't even know where he <em>was</em>, not a clue in the situation, apart from that everything hurt and he was with strangers, unable to move, and apparently, had just come back from the <em>dead</em>.<br/>
<br/>
“Look, Reese, he’s definitely not a threat, not like this, he can barely move.” <em>Rude. … but true.</em> Reese sighed, “Fine, you’re right. But that doesn’t explain how he’s <em>alive</em> and how his stab wound healed <em>itself.”</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>...<br/>
<br/>
What?</em><br/>
<br/>
“That purple cloudy stuff was <em>freaky.</em> Wounds don’t just heal themselves like that, Raven. Something’s up.” Janus barely registered the rest of what he said, he was only focused on one word that came from this stranger's mouth. <em>P</em><em>urple.</em><br/>
<br/>
<em>Virgil.</em> He… he must have done this, right? Right? Janus couldn’t think of anything else, but that still didn’t make <em>sense.</em> Virgil couldn’t bring someone back from the <em>dead</em>. ...Could he? That was <em>impossible</em>. His wound had… healed? Well, it seemed like only the actual stab wound had healed, everything else hurt like hell, wounds he not longer even had were burning his skin like a phantom pain.<br/>
<br/>
But… <em>how</em>? Was… was Virgil <em>okay?</em> What if he got hurt himself by bringing Janus back? No, no no, he wouldn't, would he? He couldn't-- Shit, shit, <em>shit</em>! He needed to find Virgil. But he didn't even know where he <em>was</em>. He had barely any memories of anything that had happened, only faint voices and jumbled words that were scrambled in his mind, his mind didn't even feel right, it felt all messed up and muddled, and it hurt just like everything else in his body did. <br/>
<br/>
He must have blanked out or something, because suddenly, someone was right beside him, he could hear their breathing in his ear, unlaboured breaths from someone who was <em>way</em> too close to him, what the--? A voice registered in his ear, the female one, “Hey, uhm… mister, are you… okay?” <em>Do i look okay to you!?  </em>He internally shot. <br/>
<br/>
He couldn’t say that, however, so instead he just shook his head. Even that was a struggle. “Well… he’s responsive, at least.” He heard a sigh, “So, what? What do we do with him now? Everyone thinks he’s dead, Raven.”<br/>
<br/>
A cold pit of dread grew in Janus’ stomach, did that mean they all thought he was dead? Virgil and Remus… well, that’s if Remus wasn’t the one who actually stabbed him in the first place. He… remembered seeing a weird flash of light before he blacked out…<br/>
<br/>
There wasn’t a strange flash of coloured light <em>last</em> time he got stabbed and blacked out.<br/>
<br/>
Wait.<br/>
<br/>
Last time…?--<br/>
<br/>
<em>Last time.</em><br/>
<br/>
Suddenly his throat closed up, he couldn’t breathe, the little bit of vision he had was gone, his mind was frozen and screaming at the same time, he couldn’t think straight, only of what happened <b><em>LAST TIME--</em></b><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“I know, but, well, we don’t know magicks, do we? So maybe--” Raven's sentence was abruptly cut off when both her and Reese’s attention was snatched up by the sudden, pained and strangled scream that filled the room.<br/>
<br/>
“Holy <em>shit, </em>what the <em>fuck-?”</em> Perhaps Reese’s interpretation of how it looked was a bit <em>harsh,</em> but honestly, he looked like a dying fish. Reese snapped himself back into the present, realising that, well, he was <em>screaming.</em> <em>Loudly.</em><br/>
<br/>
“Someone is going to <em>hear him</em>!” He whisper-shouted. Raven looked hopelessly lost and confused, they obviously needed to stop the screams before someone came down to see and figured out, he wasn’t, you know, <em>dead</em>. If news got to the king, then, well, Raven and Reese would be goners just as much as this poor man.<br/>
<br/>
Raven attempted to shush him, but he clearly wasn’t there, she had no idea what had happened but the look in his eyes was enough to say something <em>bad</em>. She felt bad for him, despite not knowing him, but they needed to quiet the disruptive sounds before they were found out. So she attempted to quell him by wrapping her arms around him in a restraint, but it only made him thrash and scream more, as if he was actively being attacked. It was… disturbing, to say the least.<br/>
<br/>
“Put a hand over his mouth or something!” Reese hissed, drawing out his sword. Raven glared at him, “What do you think you’re doing with that?” Reese grimaced, “If he doesn’t shut up, then i’ll have to make him shut up, Raven. It’s not an <em>option.</em>”<br/>
<br/>
Raven huffed, she tried, but her hand barely muffled the distressed noises. Reese brought up his weapon, “Move back.” Raven did, shuffling back just before-- <b><em>Thud.</em></b><br/>
<br/>
Silence. Raven blinked a few times, looking back, “What did you-”<br/>
<br/>
Raven and Reese stared at each other for a moment before Raven snapped at him. “What the fuck did you <em>do</em>?!” She said, glaring angrily. She may be a guard who regularly sees and involves herself in violence, but she wasn’t <em>heartless</em>, and when someone is clearly panicking you don’t <em>ATTACK THEM!</em><br/>
<br/>
“I HIT HIM WITH THE SWORD, RAVEN, WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO!?” Reese shot back, huffing. He put his sword away, eyes never leaving the now unconscious body on the ground, as if he were making sure there were no more sudden surprise waking's. Nothing happened.</p><p>They stayed quiet for a while, just long, heavy breaths as they tried to process the situation before Raven spoke up quietly, “So…. what do we….um- <em> do </em> with- him now? I mean we can’t leave him here, everyone thinks he’s, you know, <em> dead. </em> ”<br/>
<br/>
Reese made some weird hand motions trying to grasp words, he opened his mouth before shutting it again. Raven narrowed her eyes at him, this guy was such a himbo sometimes. She sighed, “Spit it out, Reese.”<br/>
<br/>
Reese finally spoke up, shrugging his shoulders unsurely,  “Maybe… we could… hide him in the dungeon…?” He suggested. While yes, they were guards down there, it would look like they were merely… carrying the dead body they’d be ordered to deal with.</p><p>Raven looked at Reese, down at an unconscious criminal on the ground, back up at Reese and sighed, it was their only option, really. “I mean yeah that's all we can do.” She said, they nodded to each other. Raven quickly headed up the steps and out into the hallway to do damage control, reassuring the guards nearby that it was just because Reese accidentally cut himself with his sword and that she had it under control. They seemed to buy it, after all, everyone was busy with the wedding, the ceremony was in a mere hour, and most guards were assigned to patrolling the princes right then.<br/>
<br/>
She headed back down, just catching the scene where Reese grabbed the unconscious man and slung him over his shoulder like a bag of flour. Raven rolled her eyes, heading back up, no one would say anything, they were supposed to be getting rid of the body.<br/>
<br/>
It’s just that, well, no one else knew the body was no longer quite dead.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>They got him into the dungeons, and past the guards at the entrance at patrolling the front hall without much question, then got to the cell full of fugitives. Reese stayed back while Raven strode forward, she cleared her throat and held her head up, alerting the guards, and along with it the people in the cell. “Shift change. The others are running a bit behind. Your next post is upstairs.” She said with nonchalance, despite the fact she was spitting complete lies. But most of the guards there were total idiots who’d believe whatever they were told if it was said with enough confidence. “Alright.” One guard said, nodding, and the others followed them down the hall and out of sight.<br/>
<br/>
Raven took in a deep breath, thank god she worked with a bunch of himbos, turning to address the people currently being held captive directly. It wasn’t exactly a simple explanation, and she didn’t know much, only that these guys knew the criminal and probably cared about him. She could tell from the look on their faces as they looked at her that he definitely meant something to them. She frowned, “I, uhm, sorry, this… is sudden. But, uh, well… your friend, uh, what’s his name? The snake guy…” She started, as soon as she said the word ‘ <em> snake’ </em> , all eyes snapped to her. She swallowed, “He’s… uhm….” <br/>
<br/>
“Dead. We know.” One of them said coldly, glaring at Raven harshly. Raven shook her head, “No, no he’s… well… he’s <em> not. </em> ” Silence followed her words, unbelieving, shocked silence. When there was no answer, she turned and signalled for Reese to come forward.<br/>
<br/>
He did, carrying the body of the supposedly alive man, who, well… still looked dead. Raven internally grumbled to herself, <em> probably because Reese HIT HIM WITH A SWORD. </em> Reese cleared his throat awkwardly, “Uh, hey there.”<br/>
<br/>
The two stared at each other for a moment before Raven nudged Reese’s arm and cleared her own throat. Reese seemed to get the hint, blinking a few times before speaking to the prisoners, “Oh, right. Um- I know this… probably sounds insane, and weird- and trust us, it really is, it was really freaky- but back to the point, he’s… really not dead, i swear. And… well… we thought you guys would probably… want… him? We aren’t sure entirely who you are to him, but yeah…” He shrugged the snake faced man up as he referred to him, which, he realised right after, probably made him look more dead.</p><p>A man who was standing in the back suddenly came forward, he had a grey streak of a hair and a cold, burning look in his eye, “What? What the <em> fuck </em> do you think you’re doing? You think this is <em> funny? </em> Funny to rub his <em> dead body </em> in our <em> faces </em> ? God, i’m a piece of shit, but i’m <em> nowhere </em> near as bad you sick bastards. Maybe you should really put on a show and hang his dead body from the ceiling, or stretch it out until it's just a floppy, goopy mess, just for funsies, <em> right </em>?” His tone was sharp and biting, but his voice cracked and was lined with deep sadness and hurt.</p><p>Reese cut him off, chuckling humourlessly in a weak attempt to clear the air and cover the guilt twisting in his stomach, “Um actually you- Uhm, so the funny thing is-” Raven interjected, whispering in his ear, “Really not that funny.” Reese swallowed and nodded, “Right, yeah so not so funny but- I-- well the thing is he's- he's really not <em> dead </em>. He came back to live, we saw it, there was this weird purple cloudy stuff, and then he woke up, and he was like quiet for a moment, and suddenly he started screaming and like having some sort of fit-- Uhm, i’m not sure what was happening there, but he’s alive, i just… had to knock him out… to stop the screaming. But he’ll be fine… i think.”</p><p>It was completely silent, all eyes were on him, staring at him in utter disbelief. He couldn’t blame them, before that day, someone coming back from the <em> dead </em> was unheard of. The same guy with the hair streak spoke up, breaking the silence, but not the thick, tense air between them all, it was still suffocating as his voice chocked, “N-no- You’re- You’re fucking with us- You’re just a couple of fucking <em> bastards- </em> There’s no way, he doesn’t- He doesn’t look alive, you’re just fucking with us--!” </p><p>Reese looked at them sheepishly, “Well he's unconscious because, as i said, i <em> may </em> have knocked him out with the handle of my sword…” The room plunged into silence one more so Raven spoke up again, “I can open up the door for you and you can check for yourself, i swear, he must have a heartbeat, we saw him alive.”</p><p>She grabbed the keys from the wall, then went over to the cell door and unlocked it, letting it swing open and taking a few steps back out of the way. Reese walked through the door into the cell and put the unconscious man gently on the floor. When he walked back out backwards, not breaking eye contact with the man with the grey streak of hair. He got a feeling he was the closest to the snake guy.<br/>
<br/>
Immediately, as soon as Reese backed away, he rushed over, crouching down to the ground and pressing his head to the other’s chest in desperate search of a heartbeat. The others still stood like silent, shocked statues, watching him with wide eyes. There was tense silence, and as nothing happened tears began to fill his eyes. That couldn’t be right, surely, they’d <em> seen </em> he was alive.<br/>
<br/>
But then his breath hitched in his throat, and he leaned away, mouth opening but no words coming out, completely speechless. The tears began to fall anyways, but for different reasons this time, and Reese sighed out with relief. He hadn't realised he really cared until now, but, really, even when it came to criminals, no one but the dirtiest scum deserves to lose a loved one like that. The man with the grey streak in his hair swallowed and wiped his eyes, and he was finally able to get his words out, “He- he has a heartbeat, he’s breathing, he’s- h-he’s <em> alive. </em>” </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ahem</p><p>HE'S BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK. </p><p>S O- ahaha i bet you're pissed at me, huh? me too pal, me too. AHAHAha- OKAY BUT LIKE, IMAGINE ME, SITTING HERE, WHILE ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS- "HE'S ACTUALLY DEAD?!" "I'M HANGING ONTO THAT TEMPORARY CHARACTER DEATH TAG FOR LIFE" and im just like 👀 o o p-</p><p>LMAO- also, if you're confused about what exactly happened with Janus, after he came back all of his repressed memories were... well, too put it basically, no longer repressed- and, uh, well, IT HIT HIM LIKE A TRUCK OF BRICKS- like a truck, but a truck full of bricks- i'm mixing things up here just trust me- because boy, it's- BOY it's some shit- ahhahaha</p><p>what was "last time" you ask? well, you'll have to wait to find out, wON't YOu?!</p><p>Anyways, i hope you guys enjoyed, AHH I'M SO GLAD HE'S BACK I MISSED HIM I LOVE HIM SO MUCH- aiwfheguw- Also, thank you to my wonderful friend Canned_Water for helping me write this chapter! 💙💙💙💙💙💙 (sorry it took so long, i had to get them to help me just so i would get off my lazy ass and actually write it, so ty Remy lmao-)</p><p>Alright, toodles &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0055"><h2>55. The Wedding of Prince Roman and Prince Patton - Part 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ding ding ding, the wedding bells ring, the perfect wedding neither Roman nor Patton want to be in.</p><p>Warnings in end notes</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was silent in the room as Remus cradled Janus to his chest, tears of pure relief spilling down his face. It stayed silent for a few minutes, no one knew what to say, what could they even say in that moment?, it was only pure shock, they were happy, of course, but still completely shell-shocked at the events that had<em> occurred. </em>They'd just witnessed the impossible, a dead man who was... <em>alive.</em> <em> <br/></em> <br/>Eventually, after what felt like hours of silence apart from Remus' quiet mumbling to himself, or maybe Janus, Reese cleared his throat, making them all look up at him. He crossed his arms across his chest, “I get that you guys… probably need a <em>while</em>, but, well, uh… we don’t really have much time until the guards come back.” He said, frowning as he looked behind to check no one had suddenly appeared. <br/><br/>“Reese has a point. Uhm… we didn’t really think about what to do after this.” Raven admitted. “Aren’t you going to lock us back in?” Remus asked, voice half suspicious, half angrily accusing, wiping his eyes from the stray tears and he shot them a look. Raven’s eyes widened slightly, “What? I- well, i- uhm…” She blinked a few times, "I..." She trailed off, they hadn't really though of that either. They really needed to start planning things out better.   <br/><br/>Reese spoke up, “We should, yeah, but… i mean come on, you guys aren’t criminals, <em> look at you! </em> Did you really kidnap the prince’s? You don’t look like you could pull it off. Except for maybe the one with the crazy eyes. No offence… but half of you are crying.” Reese said, looking between them all with a raised eyebrow. <br/><br/>“We did not kidnap anyone, any of us." Logan said plainly. Raven gave him a squinting look, as if she was realising something, “Hey… wait, aren’t you the prince’s advisor?” Logan crossed his arms with a slight huff, “Well, not anymore, but yes, I was. He was not kidnapped, he left on his own accord. He wished to save someone from an undeserved death sentence. And Prince Patton left to find him with his own advisor Emile, and they both made the decision to leave instead of stay.” <br/><br/>“Really?" Raven asked, eyes widening, "I mean, it never did really add up, the story the royals were giving us… but, well, to be fair, that doesn’t sound very realistic either.” Raven said, raising an eyebrow. “That’s the truth, whether you believe it or not, that is what happened.” Logan replied, meeting her gaze. Raven stepped back, geez, this guy had a <em>cold</em> look. <br/><br/>“So… you guys didn’t commit any crimes?” Reese asked, confusion and curiosity laced in his voice. There was a silence, and a few coughs and awkward shuffles. “Well… a <em> few, </em> but we didn’t kidnap anyone! We… may have stolen a few things…” Emile said, looking sheepish as he answered for the whole group. <br/><br/>“Like what?” Reese inquired suspiciously. “Just a few odd bits and bobs…” Remy shrugged up his left shoulder and paused, “...And a ship from Daelya.”  <br/><br/>Reese gasped, “That’s right, i heard about that!” He shot, “That is definitely stealing! So you <em> are </em> criminals!” He huffed, glaring at them. “We had too, we never did anything majorly bad… well, okay, Remus did some shit, but he’s Remus. Point is, we didn’t do anything we didn’t <em> have </em> too." Remy said, he sighed, taking on a firmer tone, "We were trying to keep Janus and Virgil from being <em> executed. </em> And then, after we ran off, we all were in danger. And look where we ended up.” Remy said, giving them a stern look. <br/><br/>“So.... you were just trying to escape the fate you ended up in in the end…?” Raven questioned, eyes widening. She looked down at the floor, brows furrowing, as if she were thinking about something. <br/><br/>She took a deep breath, “Okay. We’re going to help you.” She said resolutely. “We are?!” Reese shot out in surprise, looking at her incredulously. “Yes. We’re going to get you out of here. We’ll help you out, if you disappear, then after a while, people will forget about you since you aren’t carrying any runaway royals with you anymore.” <br/><br/>“... But, we’d have to leave Roman and Patton behind.” <br/><br/>“Yes.” Raven said, nodding. She sighed, “Look, i know it’s not what you want, but it’s the best you’re going to get. You’re lucky you even have a chance to get out here alive.” <br/><br/>“There’s no way we can help them?” Emile asked, almost desperately. Raven sadly shook her head, “No way, there’re countless guards up there, surrounding the place. Not a single unauthorized soul is getting into that room, they are <em> determined </em> to make this wedding happen.” <br/><br/>“There’s nothing we can do.” Reese confirmed. “I.. I don’t want to leave Patton behind.” Emile said, wrapping his arms around himself in a hug. “That’s the only option. Either that, or we can’t help you.” Reese said. <br/><br/>It went quiet as they silently debated with themselves. They kept getting hit with impossible decisions. If they didn’t accept Raven and Reese’s offer then… they’d all be goners, and either way, Patton and Roman suffered the same fate. <br/><br/>“We’ll take your offer. Let’s leave.” Remus said suddenly, breaking the silence. All eyes snapped to him. <br/><br/>“ <em> What? </em> ” <br/><br/>Remus’ face hardened, “Look, it’s not that i <em> want </em> to leave them behind, but you know what else i don’t want? For us all to <em> die. </em> ” He said sharply, leaving silence behind his words. He sighed, “Yeah, it’s not ideal, but really, i don’t <em> care </em> , because i swear to <em> god </em> , i am <b> <em>not</em> </b> losing anyone else in this goddamn place. I’ve lost enough.” He said, his voice strained. <br/><br/>“I don’t even know if he’s <em> okay. </em> He’s breathing but… but he might not be <em> okay </em> still…!” He added, looking down at Janus in his arms. <br/><br/>“Here, I can check.” Remy offered gently. He pulled out his staff, out of thin air, appearing with a spark of grey magic. “I thought you didn’t have it?” Emile said, gaping at him. Remy <br/>smirked slightly, “A witch can hide their staff away when necessary, but it’s not easy. It’s… sort of like a hidden pocket dimension just for staffs? I’ll explain it later.” He said, waving it off. <br/><br/>Remy hummed, “He seems okay. Something’s off, but… well, i’m not sure what.” Remus looked at him with something almost like betrayal. “Hey, hey! He’s okay, <em> psychically </em> , probably still some bruises and stuff, but he’s fine. I’m sure he’ll wake up soon, Remus.” Remy said reassuringly. <br/><br/>“Well, yeah, that big wound in his back healed up all by itself with some like, weird magic purple cloud? Got rid of all the blood, everything disappeared, even the knife that was plunged <em> all the way through him- </em> ” Reese said, getting cut off by a sharp elbow nudge from Raven, who glared at him. <br/><br/>She cleared her throat, “What he means is, it was amazing and it all just… fixed itself.” Remy narrowed his eyes, “... Purple?” As if on cue, they all turned to look at Virgil, still unconscious and being held up by Logan. <br/><br/>“He… actually healed him? Is that… is that why-?” Logan said, then suddenly cut himself off with a gasp, he rushed to check for a heartbeat in Virgil’s chest. He left out a small sigh after a minute, “There… but, well, incredibly slow, seemingly. As if it’s… only partly there. But he is still breathing.” <br/><br/>“You thought he might <em> not </em> be?” Emile asked, eyes widening. “I had the sudden realisation that if Virgil brought Janus back, that it may have been… through a sort of… trade of lives.” Logan said, looking back and forth between Janus and Virgil with furrowed brows. <br/><br/>“Janus… Janus’ is really slow too, like it’s only half a heartbeat or something?” Remus said, looking around to see if anyone else had an idea or theory. “Not a clue, all i know is that he woke up and started screaming and flailing like he was being attacked.” Reese huffed. Remus' eyes snapped to him, “What?” <br/><br/>Reese shrugged, “I don’t know, I mean, okay, the flailing wasn’t great because he was kind of like a dying fish, but-” Once again, he was cut off by a sharp elbow nudge and a hiss. “Excuse him, he’s just a himbo.” Raven sighed, she crossed her arms across her chest, “He had some kind of… fit? Panic attack? I’m not sure. It was… pretty unsettling to look at. He had this kind of… traumatized look in his eyes.” She shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably. <br/><br/>A growl ripped from Remus’ throat, “What the fuck did you <em> do </em> to him!?” He accused angrily. “Us? We didn’t do <em> anything </em> !” Raven shot back in defence. “I swear to god, if you hurt him at <em> all, </em> i'll fucking rip you open and steal your intestines to use as christmas decorations. ” Remus threatened, the obscure threat making both the guards feel unexpectedly... <em>threatened.</em>  <br/><br/>“Well, I mean, I hit him on the head with my sword.” Reese said, scratching the back of his neck with a shrug. Raven full on outloud groaned at him this time, “Goddamnit, you do <em> not </em> know when to shut up!” She hissed at him. <br/><br/>Remus growled once more, sounding almost like a growling bear, and all of a sudden, about six big, black slimy tentacles shot out at the speed of lightning out of his back to attack to the guards. “Woah! Woah, we didn’t do anything! Apart from having to knock him out, we didn’t touch a damn hair on his head, you psycho- octopus- man-!” Reese said, puffing out breaths as he tried to fight off the tentacles with his sword. <br/><br/>Remus scoffed, still scowling and giving them death stares as he reluctantly pulled back his slimy appendages. “If I found out you did <em> anything-- </em> ” He began to threaten, but Raven stopped him, putting up her hands in surrender, “We know, we know! Our intestines on your christmas tree, we got it!” <br/><br/>Raven let out a breath, she adjusted her armor sleeve, she was starting to slightly regret her decision to offer these guys help. This man was <em> insane. </em> But she was a woman of her word, she wasn’t going to just take it back now. <br/><br/>“Alright.” She said clearly, causing eyes to land on her once again, “So, are we going or not?” <br/><br/>-- <br/><br/>A Royal Wedding. <br/><br/>It was supposed to be something magnificent, extraordinary, something beautiful and a day to be remembered and cherished. It wasn’t that it wasn’t beautiful, the hundreds of perfect red and blue flowers and perfectly dressed guests, the distant sound of a bell ringing and doves flying by was the most beautiful picture perfect wedding scene you could imagine. <br/><br/>Patton’s breath hitched in his throat. He didn’t want to be here. It was so… perfect. Unsettling perfect. Looking around, he started to see the cracks. People’s smiles were fake, not full of happiness, full of smugness, smugness that they were wealthy enough and high status enough to get into such an event, like it was a medal to show off. The birds flew away, they didn’t want to be here, who would? The bell was an annoying sound, it was too loud, it hurt his ears. He didn’t want to be here. <br/><br/>The music started up and everyone stood from their seats, turning their heads to look. To look at him. Someone nudged him from behind, a reminder that he was supposed to be moving. His legs started moving without his permission, he didn’t look at anyone around him as he walked down the aisle, looking straight ahead, trying desperately not to let any tears gather in his eyes. <br/><br/>As he got closer, he got a good look at Roman, standing in a perfectly white suit, the expression on his face was not the sad or defeated look Patton had expected, instead his face was blank, almost concentrating, with a determined look in his eye. Was he planning something? Surely not, not here, not now, it would be insane for him to try and pull something. <br/><br/>As he reached Roman, and both their parents standing behind, he swallowed. His father shot him a glare, most likely for the glasses he still had on his face, but he stood by what he did. He couldn’t cower from everyone his entire life. He needed to stand up to people. It’s just that, well… his father was the hardest person to stand up too. <br/><br/>He shouldn’t be here. Neither should Roman. They were never meant to be together. Roman should be with Virgil, that’s who he was meant to be with, they went together like the sun and the moon, Patton wished he could have been standing beside Virgil, supporting <em> him </em> in <em> his </em> wedding to Roman. And, oh, wouldn’t that just be so much more lovely? Maybe it was a bit soon for a wedding, but it would be so sweet, so much sweeter than <em> this, </em> with red roses and purple tulips, and Roman would wear a deep red suit and Virgil could wear a dark purple one and everything white around them would bring out the colours so <em> nicely. </em> <b><br/></b> <b><br/></b> Not <em> Patton’s </em> wedding to Roman. <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> He shouldn’t be here with Roman… maybe it was a stretch to say he should be with Logan, he had no idea if his feelings were returned, but he shouldn’t be here with Roman. He resisted the urge to run away, god knows how much trouble he’d been in, his father would <em> kill </em> him. <br/><br/>He stepped up and stood opposite Roman, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. There was no escaping now. Roman caught his eye and gave him a look, Patton couldn’t figure out exactly what it was, but Roman was trying to tell him something. There was a fire in his eyes, burning with determination to do <em> something </em> . <br/><br/>It was honestly nerve-racking, it was a <em> crazy </em> idea to try and pull anything, but clearly Roman had already made up his mind and whatever he was planning was probably going to be… <em> dangerous </em> . <br/><br/>He forced himself not to pull any kind of face or even straight up ask Roman what on <em> earth </em> he was planning. But he could already feel the nervous pit of unknown growing in his stomach. <br/><br/>As he came to a stop, the music faded away, and he could feel all eyes on him, making him start to nervously sweat. He could feel his hands sweating under the gloves he had on. Roman was wearing gloves as well, so it wasn’t just him, although he was sure hiding his arm was an extra bonus of his. <br/><br/>He swallowed the lump in his throat as the Priest stepped forward, speaking up, his voice filling the entire room. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Prince Roman of Avia and Prince Patton of Deria.” <br/><br/>Patton didn’t register anything else he said, it just couldn’t go in, his mind was too full of screaming voices telling him to <em> get out </em> , but he <em> couldn’t. </em> He could feel his breathing picking up, becoming more and more rapid and desperate, he couldn’t be hyperventilating right now, he <em> couldn’t. </em> <br/><br/>Everything was looking at  him, everyone was <em> watching </em> him, he couldn’t fuck up right then, he <b> <em>couldn’t--</em> </b> <br/><br/>In the haze of his panic, out the corner of his eye, he saw Roman hand slowly begin to move, sliding behind his back. It caught his attention enough for his breath to hitch in his throat as he watched with widened eyes, what was Roman--? <br/><br/>“Do you, Prince Patton take Prince Roman to be your lawfully wedded husband?” The question broke through his trained focus on Roman’s suspiciously moving hand, as he looked up, suddenly brought back to reality. <br/><br/>He took a moment to process the question, then scrambled to answer, “Oh- uhm-” He paused, he was supposed to say yes, he knew he was, he could feel eyes staring at him intensely, waiting for his expected answer. He wanted to push back, say no, say this wasn’t <em> fair, </em> it wasn’t what he <em> wanted </em> , that he was being <em> forced </em> to do this, but… <br/><br/>He caught his father’s eye, a burning stare that Patton could have sworn looked right into his soul. He… <em> couldn’t. </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> <br/></em> “... Yes.” <br/><br/>The Priest turned to Roman, but while all eyes had been on Patton, Roman’s hand has reached all the way behind his back, grabbing and pulling out an object no one had expected to see at a wedding, especially not being held by the <em> prince </em> . <br/><br/>Roman was <em> done. </em> He was done being told what to do, being pushed around, being the little prince his parents wanted. He'd been pushed to his limit, and he'd finally snapped. He knew more than he was ever supposed to, maybe because his parents knew if he ever found out the truth, he wouldn’t just stand by. Maybe they knew exactly what he’d do, maybe they knew that <em> he </em> was going to be their downfall. <br/><br/>Before anyone really even processed what he was holding and how he was holding it, who he was facing and the burning rage in his eyes, he swung his arm forward, and the knife plunged directly into his father’s chest. He’d turned around to his father standing beside him and stabbed him into the gut, splattering red glossy blood all over his pristine white suit and turning the gloves he was wearing deep blood red. <br/><br/>“ <em> That’s for Janus, you </em> <b> <em>bastard.</em> </b> ” He spat with pure venom, baring his teeth and almost <em> growling </em> , “And Remus’ parents, and any other innocent people’s lives you ruined along the way, you <em> disgust </em> me.” <br/><br/>Horrified screams shot out from around him, guards came running forward, rushing over to the king’s side, everyone was yelling and shouting, but he didn't care. He didn't have a single <em>fuck</em> left to give about that piece of shit he used to call his father. He was <em>Done.</em> <b> <em><br/></em> </b> <br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Warnings: Knives, stabbing, blood, forced marriage</p><p>...Someone should probably tell Roman Janus isn't dead.... anymore.</p><p>SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO- totally didn't make you guys wait like almost 2 weeks ahahahaha- i'msosorry- SO- this was supposed to be 1 big ol' chapter, but holy shIT is it L O N G- so i split it into 2 parts, still, the next part might still take a week to come out, i'm sorry i'm bad at this i swear i'm never writing a slowburn ever again i want to d I E-</p><p>anyways- if you're thinking "the story is almost over!! how can everything be fit in??" I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M SHOVING IT IN THERE- chapter 58 will be the epilogue, so- yes, we will get the crap on Janus' and virgil's backstory- not sure what i'm doing with virgil's but i'll get it in there LMAO- anyways, hope you enjoyed, toodles! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0056"><h2>56. The Wedding of Prince Roman and Prince Patton - Part 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The final showdown.</p><p>Warnings: Blood, weapons such as swords and knives, death, assault, implied/referenced child abuse, mentioned trauma, murder, stabbing</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Immediately, as soon as a guard came for him, Roman decked the guard in the face and kicked them to the ground. He swiftly grabbed their sword, wielding it for himself, a long, thin blade, he had no training in how to use it but his instincts had kicked in full drive, giving him the temporary ability to use the weapon out of pure adrenaline. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Someone came at him from behind and he was knocked to the ground, he scrambled to defend himself, gripping his sword with both his hands to reflect the guards sword as it came down on him.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He heard a familiar voice yelling through the crowd of random guards voices, a much more worried and frantic voice than the booming, growling guards. “Roman!” The guard pinning him down was suddenly knocked off, crashing to the ground, and Roman saw Patton standing above him, breathing heavily, in fact, probably hyperventilating, his eyes wide and tears were spilling down his face. Roman’s adrenaline rush started to seep away, being replaced by a twisting guilt in his stomach.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Not for his father, of course.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>For Patton, he shouldn’t have had to see that, but there was no other to do it, and god, this wasn’t exactly what you would call a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> time. The guests of the wedding were still screaming and staring in horror, some had already made a beeline for the exit. Cowards. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He glanced over to get a look at his father but he couldn’t see him by the crowd of guards around him, really, no one knew what to do, everyone was only panicking and yelling. Roman grinned to himself, just a little, </span>
  <em>
    <span>victory</span>
  </em>
  <span>, finally. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>No one knew what to do about him, either. Of course, being the prince, they weren’t supposed to attack him for any reason. But that was on a regular basis, and this… wasn’t exactly regular. Their confusion on whether or not to attack or apprehend him was helpful to him, he pulled himself off the ground, brushing himself off. He was covered in blood, he realised, it soaked the white suit he wore and stained his gloves, probably making him look deranged. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But really, in that moment, he couldn’t find it in him to care. Considering what he’d just done, his mind wasn’t exactly in a logical-thinking state, his blood was pumping and his breathing was heavy and his mind was racing, he was sweating and he was soaked with </span>
  <em>
    <span>blood.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He’d dropped the sticky red liquid covered knife to the ground, holding only the sword he’d </span>
  <span>stolen</span>
  <span> - </span>
  <em>
    <span>obtained.</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <span>He suddenly stopped, realising crashing into him, he knew what he’d done, but, well… he hadn’t thought about the consequences. What would happen now? Would the king survive? Would he live on with the scar in his chest and the memory of his own son stabbing him? Or would he simply rot away? </span>
  <span>Roman had no idea about knives or the art of stabbing, he knew there were certain areas you hit for more damage or even instant death, but he had no idea what he was doing.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>If his father died… he looked down at the floor, his boots were soaked in the blood that had covered the expensive flooring. He wasn’t sure he cared anymore. If his father was gone, he’d done the world a favour. He swallowed. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He tightened the grip on the sword in his hand, so much that his knuckles turned white. Patton was still standing nearby, looking around, frantic and lost, probably still trying to process the situation. His own parents were rushing around, trying to quell the situation. As if they could. It was total chaos. Even the '<em>trusting word</em>' of the royals wasn't going to calm anyone down right then. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>All of a sudden, as if there wasn't enough chaos <em>already, </em>the doors to the grand hall swung open, causing a loud crash through the entire room and making everyone look over. Roman’s breath hitched in his throat. Honestly, he didn’t think they would still be </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Thank <em>god</em> they were. His first group of </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> friends, they were there to try and help, to help save him and Patton from an unwanted lifetime of forced marriage together and every other suffocating part of being a prince. <br/><br/></span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The doors crashed open, and of course, all eyes were on them as they</span>
  <em>
    <span> crashed </span>
  </em>
  <span>the party. They were supposed to leave. They really were. Remus himself had been the one to advocate it in the first place, he didn’t want to be in that godforsaken castle any longer, just being there brought back bad memories.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>They left Emile with Janus and Virgil, he wasn’t that great of a fighter anyway, not without his staff and the ability of witchcraft, and they had to leave someone with the two still unconscious brothers. (God, Remus <em>really</em> hoped Janus woke up soon.) There was no way Remus was staying behind. He was ready to absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>murder</span>
  </em>
  <span> these bastards. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>They’d gotten past the guards in the halls with the help of Reese and Raven, plus Remus definitely strangled some and snapped a few necks of the guards. The two guards had had to leave them, however, after nearly getting caught in the hall directly in front of the room where the ceremony was being held. They had to stay to distract the guards patrolling that hall, leaving only Remus, Remy and Logan to go forward into the ceremony. That wasn't a matter, Remus had enough murderous rage to go around.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a pause as they came crashing in, a moment of silence as they people present for the ceremony realised what was happening, before about half of the guards came scrambling in their direction to catch the supposed prisoners. Absolute <em>bucketheads.</em> Remus growled, he hadn’t even bothered putting his tentacles away, knowing he’d be using them again soon enough. He aimed them to strike ,making the guards stall for a second in shock, perhaps trying to figure out how to attack and take down an deranged man with eight, huge slimy tentacles. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Remus used that second of hesitance to his advantage, grabbing a guard with one of his tentacles and slamming their head into the ground, there was a </span>
  <b>
    <em>crack</em>
  </b>
  <span> and blood splattered all over the floor, ensuring the guards fate.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other guards snapped out of their shock at the sight, and immediately about eight guards came at him at once. Luckily, he had eight tentacles. He used each one to grab a guard and slam them against the enclosing walls, hearing a chorus of </span>
  <b>
    <em>cracks</em>
  </b>
  <span> as more blood pooled around them, and the sound of swords being dropped to the ground came as all six guards were officially put out of commission.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>To his left, he saw Remy using his staff to cast a paralyzing spell on more approaching guards, freezing them in place with faint lines of grey essence around them, a sign of Remy’s witchcraft.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he took a proper look at the scene in front of him for the first time, he suddenly realised that, well, they hadn’t been the first ones to create some drama at this wedding. Half the wedding guests were huddled in the corners of the room, fear written across their faces. It wasn’t hard to see why, guards were huddled around a pool of blood and, well, Roman was standing there, </span>
  <em>
    <span>drenched</span>
  </em>
  <span> in it.<br/><br/></span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the door slammed open and everyone turned to look, Patton turned to look with them, but instead of being drawn to the sight of the raging man with tentacles attacking everyone, all he saw was Logan. He was overwhelmed with joy as he thought he would never see the tall, bespectacled man again.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He immediately went to make his way over, he wanted to give Logan the biggest hug, feel the other’s arms around him. Really, he never wanted to be anywhere else ever again. But that joy quickly died as he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, gripping tightly, the sudden pressure making him flinch and stiffen up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He already knew it was his father, no one else gripped that tightly, and it was only confirmed further when his father’s deep voice rang in his ears, “And what do you think </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing? Those are </span>
  <em>
    <span>criminals</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Not your </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends. </span>
  </em>
  <span>You don’t</span>
  <em>
    <span> have</span>
  </em>
  <span> friends.” Patton's father hissed and spat </span>
  <span>behind him, tugging him back roughly, “Let's leave. You don’t belong with these </span>
  <em>
    <span>heathens.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He pulled Patton’s arm, gripping tightly as he began to drag his son away, his wife by his side, wanting to get out of the current warzone as soon as possible. But Patton didn’t want to go, he wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>stay</span>
  </em>
  <span>, help his friends, </span>
  <em>
    <span>be</span>
  </em>
  <span> with his friends, and before he knew it, his body was moving by itself, struggling and wriggling until he was out of his fathers grip, pulling them to a stop.  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patton took in a few shaky breaths, automatically shaking a step back. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He needed to put a stop to this. He turned around to face his father.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Pft</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Face his father. Truly, he’d never faced him. He’d stood by and let himself be used and abused his entire life. He never said anything when his father would make up excuses, and even when those excuses turned out to be flimsy and unreliable, who cared, really? Even if someone saw a bruise on his face no one was going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>say</span>
  </em>
  <span> anything. Why would they? What, try and stand up to the king? And get what in return? Nothing but pain and suffering for them and their families. They could never </span>
  <em>
    <span>help</span>
  </em>
  <span> him, and they </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>that. Everyone did. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He’d never stood up to his parents, he couldn’t bring himself to, every time the thought crossed his mind his stomach would twist and he’d remember the pain of a harsh hand to his face or chest or stomach. In the end all he’d done was run away, and look where that got him, right back where he started, still unable to stand up to his father. He was done, he really was, he was done with everyone else in the world, he would tell anyone else in that moment to go, leave him alone, not to touch him, push them away. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But his father? He was the one person Patton could never find himself done enough with to actually stand up to him, even if he was exhausted by the years of unfair treatment. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>But in that moment, Patton could </span>
  <em>
    <span>see</span>
  </em>
  <span> a better life, better people, better </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> right in front of his eyes. Yes, everyone was yelling and fighting but his friends were there to save </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> and to help </span>
  <em>
    <span>him,</span>
  </em>
  <span> because they </span>
  <em>
    <span>cared</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>They cared about him. Truly. Much more than his parents ever really did. And so, he took in another deep breath, and looked up to meet his father’s eyes. It terrified him, honestly, it shook him to his core to stare into those cold, darkened eyes that gave him nightmares at night, but he had to do this. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He squeezed his eyes shut, shoulders tense as he forced himself to finally say the word he needed to say.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>No</b>
  <span>.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Patton once again forced himself to open up his eyes and look at his father’s face, barely managing to suppress the shiver of terror that ran through him as he saw the ever so familiar rage grow across his father’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What </span>
  </em>
  <span>did you just say to me?” His fathers voice was low and filled with pure <em>fury</em> as the words were spat at him. Patton demanded for himself to keep his head high and maintain eye contact, no matter how terrifying it was to see those furious, warning eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patton breathed in once again, trying desperately to keep his breathing even and not spiral out of control, “I said </span>
  <em>
    <span>no.</span>
  </em>
  <span> They </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> my friends. I am tired of being pushed around like some- some puppet piece! I won’t sta-”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“How DARE </span>
  <em>
    <span>YOU SPEAK BACK TO ME!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He should have known what was coming next, it happened any time he made his father mad, as he was cut off with a sudden and strong slap across his face, echoing a loud </span>
  <em>
    <span>smack</span>
  </em>
  <span> sound across the room, (everyone had significantly quietened since the King of Deria started yelling) as his father gripped the front of his shirt and made him lose his balance. He stumbled back. His Father was wearing rings. Patton could tell by the harsh sting and trickle of blood that was flowing down his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His breathing picked up tenfold, his instincts were screaming at him to stop, apologize, go </span>
  <em>
    <span>hide</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but- but-- he- He couldn’t give up now. He just couldn’t. Before, he said he couldn’t stand up to his father. But now, well, he couldn’t leave a job unfinished, could he? </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He gathered all the strength he had, reminding himself of all the moments that made him upset, that made him </span>
  <em>
    <span>mad,</span>
  </em>
  <span> all the reasons he had told himself to </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop</span>
  </em>
  <span> letting himself be pushed around. He pulled himself together, stood up tall, brushed the dirt of his shoulder and looked his father directly in the eye as he took a step forward. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span> “I</span>
  <em>
    <span> said</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” He used every bit of courage, strength, anger and sorrow buried deep inside him to  shove his father away, “</span>
  <b>
    <em>No</em>
  </b>
  <span>!” The adrenaline that was rushing through his body made him much stronger, as his voice boomed across the room and his shove sent his father stumbling back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I'm SICK of being treated like this!” he felt a sob at the back of his throat but he held it down, he was already breathing so loud and heavily anyways, trying to hold back the tears in his ears, “YOU DON’T GET TO TREAT ME LIKE I'M GARBAGE!” He continued to yell, so worked up at that point he couldn’t stop himself if he tried, “YOU ARE A FUCKING </span>
  <em>
    <span>PIECE OF </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>SHIT</em>
  </b>
  <span>!”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Patton ended his sentence with an adrenaline filled, strong punch to the King's nose, hearing the break as the blood gushed out his nose and dripped to the ground, as well as smearing Patton’s fist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as his father regained his balance and realised what had just happened, he looked about ready to beat the shit out of Patton, and Patton found the adrenaline rush quickly dropping as he took a step back. But as he stepped back and his father stepped forward, Patton bumped into someone behind him and heard someone clear their throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you move any closer to Patton, I am afraid that I will have to use this.” Logan’s level and somewhat icy voice spoke, and Patton turned around to see Logan gripping his dagger and looking like he was ready to use it on his father. Patton had to resist the urge to pull Logan into the tightest hug possible right then and there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His father chuckled coldly, wiping the blood from underneath his crooked broken nose with his fist. “You think you can threaten </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span>? You’re nothing but a pathetic </span>
  <em>
    <span>child</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Smart, granted, but psychically,  you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>useless.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Within a second, before anyone could even speak or make any sort of move, Logan had the dagger pressed up to the King’s throat, the ability to slit in a mere second. “Do you really wish to test that theory, your </span>
  <em>
    <span>majesty</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>There was a dangerous moment of silence. Logan narrowed his eyes, clearly unwilling to back down. The guards that were still standing (i.e, hadn’t been taken out by Remus or possibly Remy yet) were either still trying to help the King of Avia or were frozen in place, lost on what to do in the situation.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>His father let out a deep grunt, backing down, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fine.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He spat angrily, he grabbed Patton’s Mother’s arm, “But don’t come crawling back to me when your </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘friends</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ abandon you, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>pathetic</span>
  </em>
  <span> little </span>
  <em>
    <span>traitor</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patton had one last thing he needed to do. To show that truly, he was done, done being a prince, done being part of that family, and done with being told what to do. He did what </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> wanted to do. And he knew exactly what he wanted to do. He turned back around and put his hands on either side of Logan’s face, silently asking if it was okay with a tiny smile. Logan’s eyes widened, but he gave a small nod and Patton stood up on his tippy toes and leaned in as met Logan’s lips with his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kiss was absolutely amazing, everything Patton had ever dreamed it would be. And really, he’d been dreaming about it for too long. It took him a while to realise it, and even longer to admit it given Logan’s reluctance to the subject, but he couldn’t hold it back any longer. And, well, Logan was most definitely kissing him back. It made Patton feel itty bitty butterflies in his tummy and his heart flutter, making him smile into the kiss.  They fit together like a puzzle piece, even with the height difference and all their other differences in between, it still felt like their lips were made for each other. Unfortunately for the two of them the need for air existed and they had to pull apart.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Still, Patton most definitely wasn’t going far, slumping against Logan’s chest and letting out a content sigh. The butterflies in his stomach started to die down, despite just having the most amazing moment of his life and his first ever kiss, the realisation of what he’d just done started to kick in. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Disgusting.”</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Patton felt his shoulders shake as his father turned away, leaving with his mother, storming out of the castle. No one was going to stop them. Everything had turned to disaster. All the wedding guests had scattered away, turning the outside surrounding town to chaos as the citizens of Avia realised something had gone horribly wrong, the entire kingdom had turned completely upside down at that point. The sobs he’d been holding back came out, but only as quiet, strained wails as he gripped Logan’s shirt tightly. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Logan’s arms came around him, holding him securely as he let out the built up tears. They stood there for a moment, Logan running his hand through Patton’s hair as Patton cried into his shirt. Around them, Remus and Remy were still taking down the remaining guards, Roman had joined them in doing so, using the sword he’d… </span>
  <em>
    <span>obtained. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Although Remy’s magic was starting to get low, Remus was still going like a powerhouse. It was incredible how much fuel rage could give you. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Despite the disruptive sounds of bones being broken and Remus - oh, wow, he actually just started a fire - around them, the moment stayed between the two of them, until Patton’s cries faded away and he was only sniffling, wiping his face with his sleeve. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <b>
    <br/>
  </b>
  <span>As he did so, he realised he still had blood on his glove from punching his father. He winced, he needed to take that off. He sighed, pulling off the glove while looking back up at Logan. He smiled, “Thank you, Logan. I’m sorry, that was… sudden of me, and I should have given you more of a warning, but it was spur of the moment and--” Logan cut off Patton’s rambling, eyes wide as he looked down at Patton’s hand, “P- Patton… your </span>
  <em>
    <span>arm.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
  <b>
    <br/>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <span>Patton tilted his head to the side in confusion and looked at his right arm, “It’s… it looks exactly the same, logie.” Logan sighed, “No Patton, your </span>
  <em>
    <span>left </span>
  </em>
  <span>arm.” He corrected, gesturing with his hand. </span>
  <span>Patton made an ‘oh’ face and looked at his arm, he’d taken off  his gloves and pushed up his sleeves, and as he looked at his blackened, infected arm-- </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stopped. He froze, his breath hitched in his throat. The darkened, black patches that had covered his arm… was </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was just… him. His skin, no longer the jett black and cursed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-” His eyes went wide in shock, “What?! Its- it’s gone! It’s gone, what happened to it-!?” He asked to no in particular, waving his arm around as he stared at it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Logan pushed up his glasses and spoke, a thoughtful look on his face, “Well, the Dark Creature seemed to feed off of fear, correct? And, well, it seemed your Father was your greatest fear. You overcame that fear by standing up to him, which I assume, is what reversed the curse put on your arm by the Dark Creature.” Logan explained his theory, it seemed like he’d been thinking about it for a while. He probably had, trying to figure out what the Dark Creature was up too and what exactly it was on Patton’s arm.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Really? So… so </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> got rid of it?” Patton asked, almost in awe. Logan nodded, a small smile growing on his face. “Yes, Patton. You got rid of it, because you were brave.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patton gave a smile and hugged Logan again, Logan wrapped his arms around Patton, resting his head in Patton’s hair. Patton leaned back, still in Logan’s arms and gave him a soft giggle, “Logan, May I kiss you?” He asked, eyes shining slightly in the light. “Of course.” They both leaned in, but just as their lips were about to touch a loud voice interrupted them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“HEY LOVEBIRDS, I’M SO </span>
  <em>
    <span>GLAD </span>
  </em>
  <span>YOU GOT YOUR </span>
  <em>
    <span>SHIT TOGETHER</span>
  </em>
  <span> AND ALL, BUT WE KIND OF HAVE A FIGHT GOING ON RIGHT NOW! SO CAN YOU </span>
  <em>
    <span>PLEASE</span>
  </em>
  <span> KICK ASS NOW AND MAKE OUT LATER!?” It was very distinctly Remus’ voice, yelling angrily at them with a growl rising from the back of his throat. He was drenched in blood, some of his tentacles still fighting off remaining guards. They heard a neck snap, the now dead body joining the disembodied bloody limbs Remus’ other tentacles were holding. It was extremely disturbing to look at. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Patton gasped upon the sight, gripping Logan’s arm and hiding his face in Logan’s shirt so he didn’t have to look at it. It made even Logan’s stomach churn, Remus truly was brutal. He put a hand on Patton’s head, opening his mouth to speak and hopefully say something comforting, but before he could say a word, another, smoother, colder voice interjected. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well well well. I have to say, good job on that arm, I really thought you all were to stupid to figure it out.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The voice filled the room, a horribly familiar voice, teasing them and catching the attention of Roman, Remy and Remus also. Behind them all stood the Dark Creature stood, in all of its gloopy glory, with a grin on its face. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Hello there! How </span>
  <em>
    <span>lovely</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see you all again! I thought i might not see the day. I honestly thought you’d all be, well…” The dark creature made a throat slitting motion with their hand, making a </span>
  <em>
    <span>bleugh </span>
  </em>
  <span>sound to go with it.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why are you her--” Logan began to ask, glaring at the slimy creature, when he heard another fierce growl from behind him. He turned his head to see Remus standing there, still covered in blood and tentacles still out, his appendages also stained red. Roman and Remy had also come over, still looking prepared to attack and fight, they all knew the creature wasn’t exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>friendly.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><span>“You </span><em><span>stabbed </span></em><span>Janus,” Remus said darkly, “</span><em><span>I’m gonna </span></em><b><em>fucking MURDER YOU</em></b><span>!” The Dark Creature scoffed, “Oh yes, like you haven’t tried </span><em><span>that </span></em><span>before. But please do try, it was very </span><em><span>very </span></em><span>enjoyable the first time so by all means, have another little go.”</span> <span>the gooey monster laughed “But I </span><em><span>have</span></em><span> to </span><em><span>say</span></em><span>, pretending to be you and stabbing your little lover in the back was </span><em><span>oh so funny</span></em><span>, truly, you should have seen his </span><em><span>fac--</span></em><span>”</span></p><p>
  <span>Remus didn’t let it finish before his tentacles were shooting out to attack. Unfortunately, being made of goo and all… the Dark Creature giggled creepily as the tentacles slid right through them. Remus took a step back, he hadn’t been expecting </span>
  <em>
    <span>that, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it felt </span>
  <b>
    <em>weird.</em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>
      <br/>
    </em>
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>
      <br/>
    </em>
  </b>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Awe, </span>
  </em>
  <span>surprised? I guess you’ll have to find another way to fight me, huh,</span>
  <em>
    <span> little octo</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” The Dark Creature said patronizingly, “Say, where is your little purple friend? I’d still like to take him for my own, you know, his power is going to be very useful to me.” </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Or is he </span>
  <em>
    <span>already </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>dead</em>
  </b>
  <span>?” They added with a sharp, biting tone. “I suppose it would still be a good riddance. I only planned on killing him after i was done with him anyways. Any one of you lot dead is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good, good riddance.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>The Dark Creature had a flair for the dramatics and loved a good monologue. And well, that turned out to be its downfall. Before Remus could even think, he was charging towards the Dark Creature. But instead of using his tentacles as weapons, he used his magicks instead, an ability he tended not to use, but in that moment, he definitely did. Using his elemental power, he skidded to a stop in front of the creature as ice shot out of his hands and turned the gloopy monster into a solid block of ice. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>He wasn’t done.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let out a guttural scream as he grabbed a mace from one of the Armor stands that decorated the halls and ran towards the Dark Creature, and with no stopping or hesitation, swung the mace right into the block of ice, causing a loud crash as it smashed like broken pieces of porcelain.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It had completely shattered, destroying the creature encased inside as the pieces scattered across the ground. They all stared, wide-eyed at the smashed pieces of black-coloured ice on the ground. It was gone, most definitely gone, Remus had completely </span>
  <em>
    <span>destroyed</span>
  </em>
  <span> it. The shards of ice weren’t there for long however, as they very quickly melted away into nothing more than tiny puddles on the marble ground. For what reason, you ask? </span>
  <span>You may have forgotten, but, well, Remus did start a fire. Suddenly, they all realised, as flames spurred up around them. The entire building was burning down, the fire spreading like, well, fire. Smoke filled the air and they quickly realised they needed to get out. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Any other person remaining inside the building, guards that were still conscious and a few stray wedding guests who had been frozen in fear or hiding away since this whole thing started, were running for their lives to get away from the rapidly growing flames. As they ran out, coughing and trying to wave away the heavy smoke, Remus heard crashing and crumbling from behind him. They had barely had it out before the entire building collapsed. </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>It was well and truly over.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p><span>--</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Have you ever wondered what happens when you crash a wedding, get some parents stabbed, take out half the guard and burn the entire place to the ground, leaving nothing but dust, ash and rubble? ...and still a bit of fire?</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Shockingly enough, no one really sticks around to get burnt to a crisp. Roman had no idea where his parents had ended up. He didn’t care. Of course, his father was taken away to get medical attention, but, well, whether he got there or not was another question. He stood in the rubble, the mix of dust from the wreckage and smoke from the fire filled the air, turning everything an unpleasant browny-grey. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He felt a hand on arm, squeezing lightly. He assumed it was Patton, until he heard the voice speak up. “Hey, Ro-Ro my Bro-Bro, i think there’s something you and Patton should see.” Despite his playful words, Remus’ voice was surprisingly soft and quiet. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman turned his head, eyebrow raised, “What?” Remus gave a small smile, and Roman could see something in his eyes. A small glint, something happy. It wasn’t that much, but it felt like such a drastic change to how he’d looked, so cold and empty, when Janus…</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman swallowed. “Uh, where are we going?” He asked as Remus took his hand and started pulling him along. “Well, before we came to save your butts, we had to make a stop somewhere. A safer place for hiding, you see.” Remus spoke as he walked, leading Roman into the trees and into the woodland.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“What- Remus, where are we </span><em><span>going</span></em><span>?” Roman huffed. He suddenly noticed everyone else was… gone. They must have left when he was zoning out, staring at the burnt down place he used to call home. Not that surprising that he zoned out, is it, really? </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remus kept leading him through the woods, after all, that guy really did know this woodland like the back of his hand, until they came to a stop, somewhere eerily familiar. Except, well, it wasn’t quite the same.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman sucked in a breath, Greenstown. Well, what remained of it anyways. It had been burned down, orders of the King and Queen of Avia once they had found out where it was. They were told a long time ago, when James discovered it. So much had happened since then. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman noticed Remus’ smile falter for a moment, after all, this was an important place to him, it was </span><em><span>his</span></em><span> town, even if they’d all known deep down that there was no way it had survived all this time. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Why… did you bring me here?” Roman asked. Remus turned to him, “I said we needed a safer place to hide, didn’t i?” Roman furrowed his brows, “Hide </span><em><span>what?</span></em><span>” Remus smiled once more, silently pulling him along once again.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Roman huffed, what on </span><em><span>earth</span></em><span> was Remus even </span><em><span>doing?</span></em><span> The fact that he thought he could just </span><em><span>drag</span></em><span> Roman around--- </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He froze. Finally, what they were looking for came into sight. In the midst of the remains of the town, the rest of the group was gathered, immediately, Roman noticed that Patton was crying and he was hit with worry. But it was quickly replaced by plain, unbelievable shock.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Virgil was there, still unconscious, but there, leaning against Emile’s side. Roman was </span><em><span>incredibly</span></em><span> happy to see him again, and of course, he was about to go immediately over and pull his storm cloud into his arms. That's all any of them wanted to do right then really, hold their loved ones, he could see Remy and Emile leaning against each other and Logan holding Patton close to his chest. But… it wasn’t just Virgil. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Next to him, awake, </span><em><span>alive,</span></em><span> was… “J- Janus…?!” All eyes turned to him as he called out the name in disbelief, <em>including</em> the pair of brown and yellow with one snake eye. He…he was... there was no </span><em><span>way</span></em><span>. It.. it was </span><em><span>impossible</span></em><span>. He’d seen it, they’d </span><em><span>all </span></em><b><em>seen it</em></b><span>! Remus gasped beside him, “Jan-jan, you’re awake!” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He… he was </span><em><span>alive.</span></em><span> Really, Roman could see him, he was moving and, well, presumably breathing, even if Roman wasn’t close enough to tell. No wonder Patton was crying. Heck, Roman had hated the guy since the moment they met. But when… </span><em><span>it</span></em><span> had happened… Roman realised that he really didn’t hate him. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>And now… god, he was so happy to see Janus alive. He watched as Remus excitedly ran over, apparently, Janus had been unconscious beforehand, which made Roman wonder what happened. Someone was going to have to fill him in. He sighed.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remus was so happy to see Janus awake, just hearing his heartbeat had sent Remus into tears, and now, he could finally hug him and hold him and never let him go again. But as he was running towards him, he realised that Janus’ eyes widened and he… flinched back. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>And Remus felt his heart </span><em><span>shatter.</span></em> <span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Oh… oh Janny…” He knew why, of course he knew, he remembered, the Dark Creature… it was disguised as </span><em><span>him. </span></em><span>And he’d feared that this would happen. That Janus might think that </span><em><span>he</span></em><span> was the one to </span><em><span>stab him.</span></em><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He took a slow step forward, putting up his hands in hope to show he didn’t mean any harm. Of course he didn’t mean any harm. He’d </span><em><span>never</span></em><span> bring anymore harm to his sweet snake, god knows the other had been through enough already. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Jan-jan… it wasn’t me, i </span><em><span>swear.</span></em><span> It was just that… </span><em><span>bastard. </span></em><span>I got rid of it. It’s gone. </span><em><span>Destroyed.</span></em><span> Please… you have to believe me.” He said, hearing the slight crack in his voice as he took another step forward. He didn’t think he could take it if after all this time, Janus didn’t trust him all over again, and didn’t want to have anything to do with him, or worse, </span><em><span>feared</span></em><span> him.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>It felt like the day he’d blown up on everyone, after his fight with Roman, and Janus had come after him. But so much </span><em><span>worse</span></em><span>.  Janus was never the type to let people see his weaknesses, and Remus hadn’t realised until then, until he’d seen it for himself. Seen the damage. After that, well, he started to see more of the cracks. The way he’d leave the room as soon as someone started to get heated, or the way he’d always been specific about weapons like knives and daggers, as if some kinds were just completely off limit to him. And just how </span><em><span>long</span></em><span> it took Remus to get past his walls in the first place. Because he was afraid that if someone got too close to him, they would use his weaknesses against him. And, well, after they got into a romantic relationship, Remus could really see all the insecurities cracking through, unsurprising given the circumstances, but still…</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He’d never gotten the time to build up their relationship to a solid point, a point where he could melt all of Janus’ insecurities about how to handle a relationship like that away. But he never got the </span><em><span>time </span></em><span>before everything went downhill. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He kneeled down on the ground to meet Janus’ level, and tried a small smile. He didn’t really know what else to do. He put out his hand, steadily, offering it. “I promise, i would never, ever hurt you.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus stared at him and at his open hand for what felt like forever, until, somewhat hesitant still, he took it, placing his own hand in Remus’.  Remus was hit with the </span><em><span>second</span></em><span> biggest wave of relief he’d ever felt. He let out a sigh, and smiled, “Thank you. I promise, it wasn’t--”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You. It… it wasn’t you. I know that…” Janus said, voice uncharacteristically small. He paused for a moment, taking in a shaky breath, “I… it wasn’t right. The… creature. It wasn’t acting right. And, well… a part of me knew that. But all of a sudden… it was mad. </span><em><span>You</span></em><span> were mad. And i guess all my stupid insecurities kicked in and i just…” He took in another breath, “I don’t know… i’m sorry.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Remus took in a sharp inhale of breath, god, how he wished he could destroy that damned creature all over again. “Oh, Janny, you don’t need to apologize, you didn’t do anything wrong, </span><em><span>of course</span></em><span> you didn’t. I’m so sorry i wasn’t there… i was so caught up in my own crap i never stopped to try and help you with all of yours… you just… never really opened up to me about it much.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus looked down at the ground, and Remus caught a glimpse of a guilty look on his face. “I know… and i’m sorry for that. It’s just… hard, you know? And, well… as for the creature… i really should have known it wasn’t you. It was all wrong. Especially the hug… it was so stiff and </span><em><span>cold.</span></em><span> You never hug like that.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>After those words, Remus couldn’t do anything but immediately pull Janus into a hug, holding him close, wrapping his arms around him tightly and securely and </span><em><span>safe. </span></em><span>He squeezed tight, wanting to hold on to the feeling of Janus safe in his arms, but he must have been too rough, and he heard sudden coughs. He pulled back, still holding Janus but able to see his face, and he could see Janus coughing until a bit of blood dripped from his mouth. Worry filled Remus, but Janus brushed it off, “I’m okay. My-” He coughed again, “My body is bound to be a little… </span><em><span>damaged </span></em><span>after… well, </span><em><span>that</span></em><span>.</span><em><span>”</span></em><span> He gave a little smile. Remus breathed out, then pulled Janus close again, much gentler this time. Janus was still for a moment, obviously surprised by the sudden action, but he quickly melted into it, resting his head on Remus’ chest, taking in the warmth. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>They stayed there, just taking each other in for what could have been forever, until Janus finally pulled away. But he stayed still, leaning into Remus’ side. By that point, they were alone. The others were still nearby, talking and working on what they were all going to do now. They had to figure something out, they definitely couldn’t stay there.</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Eventually, Janus spoke up, catching Remus off guard slightly. “You… you mentioned how i never really… opened up to you, about all the stuff in my past.” He said, a statement rather than a question. Remus nodded slowly, “Yes?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus let out a slow breath, “Well… when I…” He paused, “Uhm… woke up, i guess.” They both winced, “I… just… I remembered… I-I- remembered </span><em><span>everything</span></em><span>.” He said quietly, a crack in his voice. Remus looked down at him, “You…. what?”</span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Everything.” Janus repeated, “All the memories I'd repressed away in the back of my mind… I can just… i remember </span><em><span>everything.</span></em><span>” His voice shook slightly, and his eyes were locked onto the grass beneath them. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Everything… Remus swallowed, that… meant… </span><em><span>god.</span></em><span> He turned, so he could pull Janus close to his chest once more, running a hand through his hair in a way he hoped was soothing. “I’m sorry, Janus, that’s… awful.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“You called me Janus. I think that might be a first.” Janus said, giving a small, breathless laugh. “Maybe it is, honestly, I don't remember.” Remus replied with a smile. They both went silent again. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>The silence didn’t last as long this time, however, as soon, Janus was slipping off of his lap and opening up his mouth to say something. But it certainly wasn’t something Remus was expecting to hear. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“Do… do you think I could… tell you about it?” He asked, voice filled with uncertainty about what he was saying. Remus blinked a few times, taken aback by the question. “What? You… you want to tell me about…?” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>Janus nodded, “Yeah.” He breathed. Remus slowly nodded, “Yeah… yeah, you can. If you want to talk about it, I'm here. I’m here for whatever you need.” Janus smiled weakly, “God, you’re acting too nice for a guy who is supposed to be crazy.” </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“I’m crazy for making you feel loved, appreciated and supported, that’s for sure baby.” Remus said, grinning slightly. Janus gave another tiny laugh, and sat across from Remus, leaning against an opposite standing tree. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>He took in a deep breath, “Well… let’s see. I guess we should start from the beginning, huh?” Remus put on his hand, and Janus took it, squeezing it tightly. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. </span><span><br/></span><span><br/></span><span>“So… the beginning." </span><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>SO... that was a lot, huh...? </p><p>yikes. I'm sorry if it was too much to keep up with, i just really wanted to get it all out, this story is REALLY dragging on my mental health, so yeah. LOGICALITY KISS THOUGH! AAAA! FINALLY HAPPENED, YA'LL ARE WELCOME!</p><p>If you're wondering about what's happening with Janus and Virgil, here's how i see it. So, when Virgil attempted to heal Janus after his death, what he ended up doing was sort of splitting his life in half, and giving half of his life/soul to Janus. Not like in way that they'll only live half their lives, more like their only half alive? so, they're weaker, have less energy, can't do everything a normal person would be able too, etc. You gotta have consequences for this stuff man. Especially at the moment they'll be extra sensitive and weak, and well, Janus just came back from the dead, so his body is super fucked, i.e why he coughed up blood. He'll be okay though, don't worry. Both of them are gonna have some struggles from now on but they'll work on it and find ways around it. <br/>also, just a funny thing to add-<br/>i almost broke my brain with the whole janus thing, because, i realised, like, well, he's alive, right? but only half alive. But also, he came back from the dead, which makes him undead, like a zombie. So... tf? lMAO- i sat there, loosing my fucking mind, SO CONFUSED, and then i went and screamed at my friend abrielle because i was confused, and she was confused too, and we almost broke our damn brains. So, uh... he's 33% alive, 33% dead and 33% undead. Yet. not complicated AT ALL. and... 1% snek.</p><p>I got very frustrated trying to write this chapter and at one point i was just yelling at Logan for being dumb. i've yelled at all the characters for being dumb multiple times throughout writing this fic. TBF, he really is, he's been kind of an ass this entire fic and done NOTHING the entire time- he's only ignored patton's feelings and been rude, yeah sure he helped virgil out but also he sort of knew that patton's dad had literally ABUSED him and he just- DID NOTHING- like logan, you fucking idiot- GODDAMn- lmao- </p><p>Also, i don't think i've ever said this, but your guys' comments always completely make my day, whenever i get a long comments it's just- amazing, lmao, so thank you guys so much &lt;3 </p><p>we're getting so close to the end, gosh! this is the ending of all the big action and the main story, actually. So i hope it was good enough, the quality is probably a little lower than usual and i apologize for that. The next chapter is all of janus' F U N backstory stuff, and then the last chapter is an epilogue. It'll probably be very long since i want to get in a lot of nice moments and neatly wrap everything up. This was an extremely stressful chapter for me, as most of the last 20 or so have been, a h a... but, really, i hope it worked out in the end. Thank you so much to Remy for helping me write so much of this one, you're amazing, love ya &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0057"><h2>57. Punch me, Kick me, Throw me To The Ground</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Janus tells Remus about his past.</p><p>Trigger warnings, because boy are there a lot of them, this is a dark chapter friends, be safe: Child abuse, knives, blood, body horror, head injury, trauma, child trauma, panic attack, implied sadism, abandonment, degrading/degradation (not sexual, obviously), assault, attack, mention of death</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The beginning… It was sort of a vague question, when was the beginning? When he was born? He’d been hated by his father and pretty much the entire surrounding town since the day he came into the world, because of the bright yellow eye that appeared with him.<br/>
<br/>
Well, he supposed the beginning would be… the day his mother left. That’s when things started to really go downhill. Not that he could blame her, really, he supposed. Who would want to stick around when you’re married to a monstrous bastard like his father? He himself only stuck around for as long as he had too. And even then he left before he should have, out into the big, wide, dangerous world at only thirteen with his still-child brother. But it was better than the torture that awaited back in Dusk Town.<br/>
<br/>
He had never forgotten that day, the day his mother left. It stayed a crystal clear memory in his mind, he still remembered everything, even every detail of his mother’s face. He’d ended up looking a lot like her once he got older. Well, apart from the patches of scales scattered across his body. What a shame.<br/>
<br/>
He was about five at the time, things weren’t so bad back then, the late night drunken yelling matches still scared him as he hid under his bed, but he’d take that over what was coming a few years later any day. He was an only child back then, too, since Virgil’s mother wasn’t in the picture yet. Although it barely took his father a month to find someone new after his mother left, and two months after that she was pregnant with Virgil. She was, to put it plainly, simply just a whore.<br/>
<br/>
And as much as that hurt him as a child, that his father moved on so quickly and that this stranger was suddenly in his life and he was suddenly going to have a brother, and the fact he knew in his heart that he’d never see his own mother again, if Virgil had never come into the picture… he would of been long dead years ago, for many reasons. More reasons than he’d care to admit.<br/>
<br/>
It had been bad the night before, yelling and screaming, he heard things crash and break from where he was hiding upstairs, trying to block out the sounds with his hands pressed tightly against his ears as he cried. The morning after his mother called him from downstairs, saying she needed to talk to him, while his father was still passed out on their old beaten up couch.<br/>
<br/>
As he scrambled down the stairs, he immediately noticed the pile of stuff by the door, looking up at his mother curiously. But the look she gave back was a sad one, making him frown in return. Was something wrong? Was she hurt?<br/>
<br/>
She glanced to the side somewhat awkwardly, shuffling on her feet as if she wasn’t sure how to word what she had to say. He always remembered that, she felt a little guilty about it, and he held onto that one small thought. She at least felt a <em>little</em> guilty for <em>abandoning </em>him. That was the most he’d ever had from any paternal figure in his life.<br/>
<br/>
She sighed, running a hand through her hair as she finally looked down at him, “Uh… Janny, sweetheart, mama’s got to leave for… a while. I’ll… i’ll be back… at some point. But for a while… i’ve got to go. And it’ll just be you and papa.” Of course, to a five-year-old, those were the most terrifying and worst words you could ever hear. His mama was <em>leaving? </em>Where was she going?? Why couldn’t he come <em>too?</em> They were utterly terrifying words, even when he’d heard so many swears and other vulgar language from drunken shouting matches.<br/>
<br/>
His mother was the <em>nice</em> one. She gave him hugs and tucked him in at night, even if sometimes heard her shouting too. If anything, he wanted his <em>father</em> to leave, he was <em>mean.</em> He yelled and kicked and was always telling him to shut up.<br/>
<br/>
He felt tears start to swell up in his eyes and his mother cooed, placing a hand on the scaled side of his face. There was only a small patch on his face at that point, but it was enough for every single person who saw him to know immediately who he was. <em>What</em> he was. And in Dusk Town, that most definitely was not a good thing.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m sorry my darling, but i can’t stay.” She said, voice quiet and laced with thin layer of sadness. She ran a thumb over the scales, a pained look on her face. He didn’t understand that either, at the time, but he did now. You may wonder why she never just took him with her, but, well, it was simply because she didn’t <em>want</em> him.<br/>
<br/>
She didn’t want to carry around the glaringly obvious with her, everywhere they went people would always instantly know just by looking at the left side of his face. She only saw him as a target, a danger, like everywhere they went he would only cause trouble. And she didn’t want the risk.<br/>
<br/>
Or maybe she simply didn’t want the burden.<br/>
<br/>
He’d never know the true answer. He’d never seen her since then. It was an obvious lie, saying she’d come back, he’d always been good at sensing when people weren’t telling the truth. Besides, it would be a suicide mission to try and come back after disappearing like that, she’d be killed for being a traitor by the people in Dusk Town if not Janus’ father himself. He understood why she left, married to a psychopath stuck in a criminal town, her options were very few.<br/>
<br/>
But being only a child at the time, he’d cried and clung onto her, not understanding and not wanting her to go. He didn’t want to be alone. “Don’t leave, mama please!” But the wails of the five year old didn’t stop her, in fact, they encouraged her to move faster, wanting to get out before the cries woke up her husband. She finally managed to pry Janus off of her and with that, she was gone.<br/>
<br/>
The door slammed closed and he was alone. Alone in the cold, empty feeling house, even when it wasn’t empty. But it was only occupied by him and his father who hated his guts, so it might as well have been.<br/>
<br/>
He kept crying, plopping down on the floor and sobbing miserably, wanting his mother back. To any normal person it would of been a very upsetting sight, seeing a small child cry for their mama, and looking back on it, even Janus himself found it a wince-worthy memory.<br/>
<br/>
But his father was not a normal person, as for when he heard these cries and they woke him up, he was not happy. “What the fuck are you whining about, boy?” He growled, trudging into the hallway.<br/>
<br/>
Janus sniffled and wiped his tears away with his tattered shirt sleeve, “Mama, she went away!” He cried. His father raised an eyebrow and glanced at the door, “She buggered off, did she?” He scoffed lowly, “Pathetic whore.”<br/>
<br/>
Janus whimpered, “I want her back…!” His father laughed, “You really are thick, aren’t you? If she wanted you she would have taken you with her, wouldn’t she? You’re just a waste of space, now quit crying before i give you something to cry about, you little shit.”<br/>
<br/>
His father shoved past him, giving him a swift kick as he did so, and left again. He was well and truly alone. He didn’t want his father around, he was always mean and he always yelled, but… sitting on the cold floor, alone, as the sun set in the sky and darkness loomed and filled the room, unable to cry or let out his distress for the fear of being hurt… anyone’s company would have been good.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
As said, he always remembered that memory, he never forgot it. What had become repressed in his mind were the traumatizing ones. His mother leaving was nothing compared to the other shit he’d been through. The moments that kept him awake at night for years until they were repressed to the further corners of his mind, but that always kept him on guard, never truly trusting anyone, not until Remus came around anyways.<br/>
<br/>
Those memories still taunted him and forever would, especially now, crystal clear in his mind, playing over and over like a broken record.<br/>
<br/>
Like the memory of what happened to his left arm, with it’s corrupted magical nature and missing scales.<br/>
<br/>
It wasn’t that he forgot <em>what</em> happened, he still knew what his father had done, but the memory was blurred and fuzzy, and <em>god</em>, how he wished it had stayed that way. The broken memory that buzzed like a static TV was eternally better than the horribly detailed memory that haunted his mind.<br/>
<br/>
It started on a normal day, his father hadn’t had a rage fit yet and was surprisingly not having a hangover, and he’d thought for once things might go okay that day. Then he’d heard crying, and he instantly knew it was Virgil, and the thought that the day was going to be safe quickly disappeared.<br/>
<br/>
He was only about five or six, and Janus was about twelve at the time. He ran to see what was going on, it wasn’t unusual for a six year old to cry over nothing, but Virgil wasn’t a normal six year old.<br/>
<br/>
So he rushed down the stairs, although not too fast otherwise one of the steps would probably break and he’d fall through, and when he got to the bottom of the steps, he could see clearly why Virgil was crying.<br/>
<br/>
“Shut up you little shit! How many times do i have to tell you pathetic worthless children to <em>be</em><b><em> fucking</em></b> <b><em>QUIET</em></b>!?” Virgil slammed into the wall harshly, crying out as he was thrown back, and Janus was moving before he could even think, his protectiveness taking over. Logically speaking, it was an absolutely <em>awful</em> idea to interrupt someone who was furious and had literally just thrown someone else into a wall, because of course, you’re going to end up getting caught in the crossfire. But there was no way in hell that Janus was going to just stand by and let that happen to his brother.<br/>
<br/>
“HEY! Don’t hurt him! He’s just a child, he can’t control his tears!” Janus shouted as he ran over, dodging past his father to Virgil, scooping the barely conscious boy off the floor and into his arms. His head was bleeding but it wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t the only time Virgil occurred a head injury, for some reason their father seemed to sickly enjoy throwing him into walls. <br/>
<br/>
He heard his father growl, “Do you really think it’s a good idea to interrupt me, <em>boy</em>?” He spat. <em>No,</em> Janus’ mind supplied, the answer was fairly obvious after all, but that didn’t mean Janus was going to listen to it. He often did stupid things, mostly to keep Virgil safe, but, well, as he’d been told countless times, he was also just a fucking useless idiot.<br/>
<br/>
He needed to get Virgil out, then he could deal with the rest of his father’s outburst himself. It was better than Virgil getting hurt, even if he got hurt himself, Virgil didn’t deserve that. He didn’t reply to his father, instead, turning and going to make a hasty exit. He had to be fast, he could only get Virgil somewhere he could hide before he’d be grabbed and slammed into a wall himself. But with the combination of his brother’s weight and his own lack of strength, he was only twelve after all and very malnourished, his father stopped him before he could make a run for it.<br/>
<br/>
His father grabbed his hair and yanked him back, making Virgil slip out of his arms, thank god he wasn’t very tall and it wasn’t a far fall, but his younger brother still whimpered as he hit the ground. “Don’t you dare fucking try and run. Now i’ve got to deal with <em>both of you.</em>” His father hissed at them. <br/>
<br/>
Janus’ panic picked up, it was a risky move, trying to grab Virgil and run, and he knew fully well it could just make everything worse, but he had to try something. And he had made everything worse, they were in double the amount of shit now. Janus’ back still wasn’t healed from last time. His father shoved him against the wall, but let him go in favour of going after Virgil instead, planning to deal with Janus after.<br/>
<br/>
And that was the moment it all took a turn for the very worse, as his father walked towards his younger brother. He thought he’d seen the worst before but it was nothing compared to what would happen now. Because, in the overwhelming panic that hit him seeing his father going for his literal <em>six year old</em> completely helpless brother, he knew he had to do <em>something,</em> and instinctively, he moved.<br/>
<br/>
No, he didn’t run and try to stop him or take him down or anything, nothing like that. No, he didn’t try and run past and grab Virgil either. That wouldn’t of worked. But he could do something else. He had magic. He had the ability to harness powerful elemental magic through something as simple as his hand, a truly high advantage in this world.<br/>
<br/>
But those powers were undoubtedly the thing his father hated most about him. Why he was called an unnatural freak and a mistake of nature. He never used them, of course, that would be unbelievably idiotic. He wasn’t <em>trying</em> to get killed. Well, he used them sometimes …when his father wasn’t around.<br/>
<br/>
They were… nice, he supposed, the ability to freeze or burn anything he wanted was <em>dandy</em> and all, but the scales that came with them were the bane of his existence. That was the other reason everyone hated him, especially his father. He was pretty sure literally everything about him and his existence made his father furious.<br/>
<br/>
But in that moment, it just… happened. Before he could even register how <em>horrible</em> of an idea it was to use his magicks, his desperate need to keep Virgil safe had kicked in and he’d lifted his hand, a shot of lightning blasting out, hitting his father directly and electrocuting him. He let out a strangled sound, stumbling back.<br/>
<br/>
And <em>oh.</em> <em>Oh, oh… oh.</em> He’d done that. He’d used the powers on his father, his father who <em>oh-so</em> hated those powers. He’d used them <em>against</em> <em>him</em>. That was it. That was it, he was dead. His father was going to <em>kill him.</em><br/>
<br/>
There was no way it could be anything else, not a real shock of lightning of course, the sky was clear of clouds and they were inside under a roof. It could have only been him. His father slowly turned to him, face <em>burning</em> with <em>pure</em> <b><em>fury.</em></b><br/>
<br/>
“<em>What the </em><b><em>HELL</em></b><em> did you just do to me?</em>” His voice shook with <em>rage</em>. Janus hated the pure petrified fear that filled his body, making his shoulders shake, but for a completely different reason than his father was shaking. His father was right, he was pathetic. He glanced at Virgil on the ground, who was looking up at him with wide, tear filled eyes.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Go</em>, run, now, <em>please.</em>” He whispered to his brother desperately. Virgil looked between him and his father, who was slowly taking steps towards Janus, who was still stood frozen against the wall. “Please, Virgil, <em>go.</em>” He said again, voice cracking.<br/>
<br/>
Virgil swallowed, Janus could see on his face that his brother didn’t want to leave him behind, but he couldn’t help him. Nothing could save him now. So, using the last of his strength and energy, Virgil pulled himself up and scrambled out.<br/>
<br/>
His father didn’t even seem to notice him gone, he was too busy advancing on Janus, staring directly at him. Janus could practically see the burning fiery pits of hell in his father’s eyes. Surely he couldn’t of come from any place but there.<br/>
<br/>
He often thought there was no way his father was human, too inhumane and cruel, surely just a monster sent from somewhere to torture him. But this finally confirmed it for him. His father finally reached him, instantly punching him directly in the face with a distinct <b><em>crack</em></b> as his nose was hit, sending him flying back.<br/>
<br/>
Blood started pouring out of his probably broken nose, running down his face, he knew as he soon tasted it in his mouth, the eerily familiar coppery taste, he was now knocked down onto the ground. His father took another step forward towards him, sneering, “How does it feel, you little freak? God, you’re such a fucking <em>mistake.</em> You’re a fucking <em>monstrosity. </em>Bet you’re gonna cry now, huh? Gonna cry like the brainless baby you are?”<br/>
<br/>
By some miracle, or just a rush of pure adrenaline, Janus still had a bit of fight in him. He wasn’t going to just sit there and let himself get killed. That really would be pathetic. Maybe he’d change his mind and want mercy when he was having his head smashed against the wall but right then, an adrenaline kick was pumping through him, and he wasn’t going to just sit there and cry.<br/>
<br/>
He wiped the blood from his mouth, baring his teeth and growling, “<em>Fuck,</em>” He spat, “<em>You.”</em><br/>
<br/>
It was the wrong thing to say. Especially to someone who was filled with nothing but rage and the need to hurt others. That must be it, he just <em>had</em> to hurt people. Surely, he couldn’t really be a normal human being. No, he was a monster. A demon sent from the pits of hell itself.<br/>
<br/>
That would explain what happened next as his arm was grabbed, and he was pushed roughly back against the wall with his face pushing against it, arm twisted behind his back. “You <em>dare</em> use your <em>freak</em> powers against me?” He chuckled, cold and twisted, “You’re going to regret it, <em>boy.</em>”<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly he was gone, the presence behind him nothing but air, to his complete surprise, but he didn’t dare move. If he tried to run it would only come back to bite him in the ass later, in the form of even worse pain. Well, that’s what he thought at the time. Looking back on it he knew that there was no worse pain than was going to happen.<br/>
<br/>
His father came back, and Janus couldn’t see properly with his face pressed against the brick wall, but he caught a glimpse of shiny silver. And his heart stopped, it had been pounding in his chest beforehand, his breath heavy and uneven, but now… he was completely frozen.<br/>
<br/>
“You were born a <em>mistake,</em> nothing but a waste of air and space, and worse you were born a <em>freakish mutant, </em>and you have the fucking audacity to use that <em>against me.</em> So looks like i’m going to just have to <em>get</em><b><em> rid of it</em></b><em>.</em>” His father hissed in his ear, his voice sending a tremor through Janus’ entire body. He’d never pulled a knife on him before. He could do a terrifying amount of things with a knife, Janus realised, his panic rising to an impossible amount.<br/>
<br/>
His body was about to bolt, no matter the consequences, his survival instinct was screaming at him to <b><em>GET OUT </em></b>and he wouldn’t of been able to stop himself running. But he couldn’t move before one hand was pressed against the back of his head, pressing him even more into the wall as he felt a sharp bit of brick cut his cheek, to stop him moving. And his other hand ...was plunging a knife into his arm.<br/>
<br/>
But not his skin, no, it was his arm with his scales, his left one, twisted behind his back. Of course, the scales were hard, you couldn’t just stab into them. But that wasn’t what his father was trying to do. He clearly wasn’t drunk otherwise he wouldn’t have thought about it enough to realise what he needed to do. He stabbed into the flesh above the scales, angling the knife to the side, digging it deep under his skin. It dug deep, going under the scales, and ripping back up again, <b><em>tearing </em></b>his scales from his body, <b><em>ripping</em></b> them out, <b><em>forcing</em></b> them out, <em>digging them from his flesh</em>, <b>blood </b><b><em>gushing </em></b><b>out, </b><b><em>covering his arm, his legs, his father’s torso, </em></b><b><em>splattering all across the wall-</em></b><br/>
<br/>
It was unbelievable pain. Such pain he couldn’t begin to describe it, it was every type of pain at once, throbbing and aching and searing and burning hot and freezing cold. His body refused to give in and pass out to spare him from this <b><em>torture. </em></b>He stayed awake and aware, although he certainly wasn’t fully there in his mind, his vision was nothing but a blur and he could hear nothing but a buzz in his ear, drowning out the background sound of his own desperate, pained screams.<br/>
<br/>
They didn’t come easily, of course, the scales were a part of him, it was like tearing off the chunks of someone’s skin and flesh. After what felt like centuries, his father stopped, probably because he got tired of it, they must have been difficult to pull out, he could tell that from the torturous man he was feeling, but the pain didn’t subside.<br/>
<br/>
He still couldn’t see or think properly, all his senses were fogged up as his body desperately tried to help the pain and trauma by trying to take him away from the situation and pushing him to the back of his own mind. He wasn’t sure if it was helping, he felt like he was burning in a blaze of fire or drowning at the bottom of the ocean. As soon as his father let go he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, he couldn’t keep himself up if he wanted to.<br/>
<br/>
The pain spread throughout his entire body, accompanied by an aching feeling in his chest, the feeling of something pulling and tugging and withering away. Some sort of strange manifestation of his magicks in his chest. It felt like it was flickering, flickering away maybe, dying and fading away as the psychical part of his powers had been practically <em>maimed.</em><br/>
<br/>
He’d later find out that it wasn’t dead or gone, just… broken. Like him.<br/>
<br/>
He heard something, not that he could hear much, he felt like he had water in his ears, desperately hoping it wasn’t his father coming back for more. But as a tiny, crying, heart-shattering voice registered in his ears he realised it wasn’t his father. It was Virgil. “Janus! Janus yo- you’re b-b-bleeding and you’re hurt and-” His voice, although sounding like he was underwater, was still clear enough for Janus to mostly hear.<br/>
<br/>
He cut himself off with a sob, Janus couldn’t imagine what a horrible sight it was to look at. Especially for a kid. Guilt twisted in his stomach, he wanted to hug his brother, but he couldn’t move, he couldn’t even move a finger right then, he felt like he was sinking into the floorboards. Virgil shouldn’t have been there. “I- i can help, i need to h-help… how do i help?!” Virgil cried, Janus could hear the distress in his voice even through his drowned out hearing.<br/>
<br/>
He wanted to assure Virgil that he would be okay, hold his hand if he could, the words forming in his mind that he wanted to say to his brother sounded a lot like a dying speech, but with the way he felt, he was fairly sure there was a chance he was actually going to die.<br/>
<br/>
Dying wasn’t an option, not while Virgil was around, Virgil needed him. If Virgil wasn’t around, well… maybe he wouldn’t have fought it so much. If Virgil didn’t need him, no one would. But Virgil <em>did</em> need him.<br/>
<br/>
But he still couldn’t speak, couldn’t get the words out of his mouth, and he suddenly realised that his mouth was filled with blood. He wasn't sure if it was from his still bleeding nose or just because of how fucked his body was, but either way, it wasn’t good.<br/>
<br/>
He started coughing, blood spilling out of his mouth all over his already blood stained shirt. He heard a pained noise from Virgil, feeling even more guilty his brother was having to witness this.<br/>
<br/>
He wasn’t sure what happened next, he was so out of it, feeling like he was drowning, everything burning and aching, still in <em>so much </em>pain. He’d been hurt plenty of times before but never had it felt so <em>wrong</em> and <em>unnatural </em>as it did now, like the scales on his arm were never meant to be disturbed in such a way. He saw a flash of purple out the corner of his eye, Virgil was mumbling to himself, and Janus wondered what he was doing, now hovering over Janus’ left side.<br/>
<br/>
He wouldn’t learn until later, but that was the first time Virgil used his healing powers to heal anything bigger than a small cut. He was only just discovering his powers, and they’d been doing everything in their power to keep his powers hidden from their father. Thank god Virgil didn’t have any obvious magical features. Janus didn’t like to think what would happen if his father found out.<br/>
<br/>
He did find out eventually. That’s why they had to leave. Otherwise they would be dead.<br/>
<br/>
He felt a strange sensation in his arm amongst the astounding pain, and then, his entire body went… fuzzy. He felt a weird draining sensation through his bones, except that it was the pain in his body draining away, fading all the bruises and scratches, even the injury he’d gotten on his back last week from being thrown down the stairs. Thank god he only hurt his back in that, he could of snapped his neck or something, he really got lucky.<br/>
<br/>
It all faded away, leaving him healed, apart from new scars that joined the old ones already littering his body.<br/>
<br/>
But the one thing that didn’t change was his arm. The fuzzy feeling faded away from his weeping arm quickly, like a spark dying out, not doing a single thing to repair the damage. The rest of his body was healed, and all of it felt better than it had in a long time, but his arm was still burning with searing pain.<br/>
<br/>
“What? Your arm didn’t fix…” Virgil said, whimpering as he realised, “I can’t fix it?” He said sadly. The water-in-his-ears feeling was slowly fading away, and he could hear his brother’s voice clearer. He couldn’t move still, getting the distinct feeling that if he moved his arm would deeply protest against the movement, and he wasn’t really up for more pain, thank you very much.<br/>
<br/>
Virgil crawled over to his head and looked down at him, “I tried again, i can’t fix it!” He said in distress, he sounded like he was still half-crying. Janus hadn’t even noticed Virgil trying to heal it again, he must have blanked out or something. He definitely wasn’t all there still, still distant, only really there on the surface even if his psychical injuries had been healed.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, buddy, it’s okay.” He managed to say, voice strained and rough, but he got it out nonetheless. He couldn’t do much else. Virgil whimpered again, “I wanna help…” He laid down next to Janus, staring up at the ceiling, like Janus was doing. It had gone silent. Their father probably left the house.<br/>
<br/>
It was silent between them for a while. Ideally Janus wouldn’t be lying on a floor and instead on a bed, but they only had one broken old bed between them and it was upstairs, and there was no way he was getting up there. Plus, Virgil needed it to sleep in. He came first.<br/>
<br/>
Eventually, Virgil turned his head to look at his brother, and spoke, tears gathering in his eyes again.<br/>
<br/>
“I heard you screaming.” He whispered, “I didn’t like it.” And, <em>god,</em> if those words didn’t crush Janus’ heart. He’d said it before and he’d say it every day for the rest of his life, <em>Virgil didn’t</em> <em>deserve this.</em> “I’m sorry.” He whispered back. Virgil shook his head, well, as much as he could lying on the floor.<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t say sorry. Is’ not your fault. He hurt you.” He said, slipping up on the word it’s, his speech wasn’t perfect. It was hard to teach him anything when Janus barely knew shit himself. He didn’t get access to books until later in his life, when he sucked in as much information as physically possible. Even then, he had a mare of a time trying to teach Virgil things.<br/>
<br/>
He sighed, eyes wandering back to the cracked, leaking ceiling. His body was starting to go numb again. He closed his eyes. He probably wouldn’t sleep for days. He felt Virgil slip his hand into Janus’ own, clasping down tightly. He squeezed back.<br/>
<br/>
--<br/>
<br/>
He was brought back to the present, a gust of wind hitting his face and brushing his hair out of his face. Sitting in the gently swaying grass under a tree, the world quiet around him, and Remus was sat opposite him, holding his hand tight. He was staring down at the ground, picking at the grass with his free hand, unable to look Remus in the eye while he retold the story.<br/>
<br/>
He wished he could say that was all of it. They finally ran away a year later, they had no choice but to get away, when his father had found out that Virgil had powers and pulled a knife on both of them, with the intention to get rid of them once and for all. But he didn’t want to retell that part of the story right then. It was the reason he had another stabbing scar across his chest.<br/>
<br/>
Virgil had healed it almost instantly, leaving it nothing but a scar and not a blood massacre that left him some sort of half dead half undead half alive disaster of nature. The point was they escaped alive, and had made it through years on the street to the point their names were known all across the region and on wanted posters everywhere. He wanted to tell Remus in a way, wanting to get everything out, but the main reason he didn’t tell it was because he didn’t have Virgil’s permission, it was his story too and he didn’t want to tell Remus if Virgil didn’t want him to know.<br/>
<br/>
Speaking of Remus, he was silent. Janus didn’t look up at his face, somewhat scared of what he would find. Not that Janus could blame him, how are you <em>supposed</em> to react when someone tells you a story like that? <em>Story </em>was a light way of putting it. That’s when he realised how tight their hands were holding each other, both squeezing the other’s hand impossibly tight.<br/>
<br/>
That’s also when he noticed the tears running down his face. And the way his breath had picked up and how tight his chest was. He'd gone half numb as he said it outloud for the first time ever, and he hadn’t noticed how his body was reacting until he was unable to breath, vision blurred as he choked on his tears. The hand holding his loosened as Remus moved, rather suddenly, not that Janus flinched or anything, sitting up and leaning over to Janus.<br/>
<br/>
“Breathe, Janus, in for four, okay?” He instructed gently, obviously seeing Janus quickly dissolving into a panic attack, “That’s good, that’s so good, hold for six…”<br/>
<br/>
<em>In for four. </em>That was simple enough. <em><strike>If</strike> <strike>you can even count to four, you braindead moron</strike></em><em>.</em> <em>Hold for six.</em> He could hold his breath for six seconds, he’d held it much longer before, or else he would be dead from drowning right now. <em><strike>You</strike> <strike>should have drowned</strike></em><em>.</em> <em>Out for eight. </em>Eight seconds felt like an eternity, and he slipped up, losing the pattern.<strike> <em>You’re such a stupid piece of shit, you can’t even fucking count properly, this why everyone hates you.</em></strike><br/>
<br/>
He wasn’t sure when his father’s voice started echoing in his head, maybe it had always been there, subtle in the back of mind, but now it was so <em>loud, </em>practically <em>screaming</em> at him, over taking his other thoughts with ease. “S-sorry-” He sputtered out, his vision was still blurred with tears, but he could make out Remus sitting in front of him,  still holding Janus’ hand.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s okay, it’s okay sweetheart, let’s try again, okay? You’re doing really well.” His voice was uncharastically sweet for Remus, but soothing and calm, not angry. He wasn’t angry. Even with the angry voice shouting and screaming in his head, in the present, the real world, no one was angry.<br/>
<br/>
He tried the breathing exercise again, and again, until his breathing finally went back to normal and Remus had wiped the tears from his eyes. He didn’t get angry when Janus fell out of the loop, he would never do that. Janus knew that. In his heart, he knew that.<br/>
<br/>
Remus gave him a small smile, “Hey sweetpea, can you breathe okay now?” He asked. Janus nodded, not trusting his voice right then. Remus’ smile grew, “That’s good. You did really well, i’m proud of you. I should have known that  talking about something like that would send you into a panic attack, i have no idea why i was so surprised by it, i’m sorry i didn’t act sooner my love.”<br/>
<br/>
Janus shook his head, “Not your fault.” He managed to get out, still not entirely trusting his voice. Remus sighed, dropping it, he didn’t want to get into a silly argument over it, just just wanted to make sure Janus was okay. “Can i give you a hug, darling?” Janus nodded then, and Remus pulled him forward into their, what, third hug at that point?<br/>
<br/>
Whatever, Janus didn’t care. He’d stay in Remus’ arms forever if he could. It was warm, Remus was always warm, it felt like he ran hot while Janus ran cold. His hugs weren’t just warm, they always made Janus feel safe and secure, like with Remus’ arms around him nothing could ever hurt him again.<br/>
<br/>
And if you asked Remus, nothing ever would.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0058"><h2>58. Epilogue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's the Epilogue, the story has come to an end. It's time to find out what happened when they all made it out to safety, and what happens a year later when the peace has finally settled and a new wedding is taking place. Except this time, the grooms couldn't be happier that it was finally their big day. </p><p>Warnings: Panic attack, child abuse (This chapter is not actually that dark, i promise, it's extremely fluffy and fun and all good at the end)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><br/>
Honestly, for a moment, Virgil was pretty sure he died. It sure <em>felt</em> that way. He felt like he was suffocating, drowning, like half of him was being ripped and torn away. Voices whispered and he could feel <em>something,</em> something deep down inside of him, pulling and tugging and trying to break free, dragging him down in the process. But then...<br/>
<br/>
He woke up.<br/>
<br/>
He was gasping for air like someone who almost <em>had</em> drowned, shooting upwards. ...And immediately falling back because his body felt like a ton of bricks. Oh <em>god.</em> What <em>happened</em> to him? He felt <em>terrible.</em> At least the tugging and the voices had stopped.<br/>
<br/>
He heard a gasp, very close, almost right in his ear, and he felt shifting underneath him, and that’s when he realised he fell back against a <em>body. </em>Who…?<br/>
<br/>
“Virgil…? Virgil!” There was no mistaking it was Roman’s voice, and suddenly warm arms were wrapped around him, pulling him close and holding him tight. It was like shock to his system, like he’d just been pulled out of freezing cold ice water and immediately been thrown into a blazing fire. He froze up, overwhelmed by the sudden movement, especially since he felt like he just woke up from <em>death.</em> But after a moment, he body decided to trust the arms around him and he relaxed, after all, Roman’s hug was, as always, warm, welcoming and safe.<br/>
<br/>
Roman pulled back, looking at him with a smile, but tears in his eyes. He looked happy, but deeply concerned. Confusion and worry quickly clouded Virgil’s thoughts. Why would Roman be crying? He pushed aside the thoughts of his own aches and pains and half-dead feeling body momentarily, focusing on Roman instead, “Roman… are you okay? Why are you crying…?”<br/>
<br/>
Roman sniffled, wiping the tears away, “No, no it’s okay, they’re happy tears. I’m so glad you’re <em>awake!</em>” Virgil involuntarily groaned at the growing in volume, why did his entire body feel like 100% more sensitive?<br/>
<br/>
Roman’s eyes widened, “Oh gosh, i’m sorry stormcloud, that was really loud. Are you okay darling?” His body still felt impossibly heavy and he realised he also had a pounding headache. He certainly wasn’t okay. When he didn’t answer, Roman cooed softly, “Oh, do you want a hug, cuddlebug? Hugs fix everything.” Virgil still literally felt like <em>death,</em>  so he was happy to simply be engulfed by Roman’s warm, loving arms right then. He overall felt like a piece of shit stuck to the bottom of someone’s shoe. That was then eaten by a pig. And then vomited back out by the pig.<br/>
<br/>
Roman gasped suddenly, “I need to tell Janus!” Virgil stiffened, feeling his heart start to ache at the mention of his brother, “... What do you mean?” He asked hesitantly, confused and hurt that Roman would even bring it up. Roman suddenly froze and gasped, “Oh, shit, you don’t know!”<br/>
<br/>
Virgil stared at him, what the hell was Roman playing at? What kind of fucked up kind of game is it talk about Virgil’s <em>dead</em> <em>brothe</em>---<br/>
<br/>
That’s when it was Virgil’s time to freeze up and gasp, as the door to… wherever they were, Virgil didn’t actually recognize this place, swung open. And standing in the doorway…<br/>
<br/>
“Virgil? Virgil! You’re awake!”<br/>
<br/>
There was no mistaking it was him. The same voice, a little raspy but still higher than Virgil’s own, the same face, with mismatched eyes staring at him with wide eyes and a patch of faded-yellow scales, … it was him. Alive, breathing, standing, talking… <em>alive.</em><br/>
<br/>
Virgil couldn’t help but stutter out his words, barely able to talk from pure shock, his brain desperately scrambling to figure out what was going on, “Yo- you’re <em>alive</em>…!” He spluttered, the words sounding almost as if he didn’t believe it. He wasn’t sure he <em>did. </em>Perhaps he really had died and he was being subjected to some kind of torture in hell.<br/>
<br/>
Janus’ face softened, and he quickly rushed forward for a hug, wrapping his arms around his younger brother. Virgil couldn’t believe it was happening. He <em>died</em>. He was sure for a moment that he was seeing things, some sort of illusion or hallucination, that it was fake, but now, he could <em>feel</em> Janus’ arms around him. He was real, he felt real, the same, comforting hugs they always had for each other… it was all real.<br/>
<br/>
“H-how?” He asked in disbelief, pulling back from the hug, hand still gripping the material of Janus’ shirt sleeve. How could this be possible? He <em>watched.</em> He <b><em>saw.</em></b> It was absolutely <em>traumatizing</em>, he watched the life drain out of his <em>eyes. </em>He saw as he <em>failed</em> to heal Janus in time, how he <em>failed </em>to save him, and now… he was here.<br/>
<br/>
Janus sighed, “I don’t… know.  We’re not… entirely sure. I’m not exactly… one hundred percent… <em>alive,</em> we don’t think. Logan has been trying to figure it out… “ He trailed off for a minute, drowning the room in an uneasy silence, but then he cleared his throat and spoke up once more, “but, well, i’m okay! I’m… not dead, at least.”<br/>
<br/>
That wasn’t exactly what Virgil wanted to hear, but <em>god</em>, was it better than having him be <em>dead. </em>He wouldn’t know what to do with himself if he had to keep living on without the person he was closest to in the entire world by his side. He threw his arms around Janus again and pulled him in for another hug, squeezing him tightly. He didn’t want to let him go ever again. <br/>
<br/>
He wasn’t sure when he started crying, only that Janus held him tighter and he felt another hand start running through his hair, presumably Roman, gently shushing him from behind. There was an ache in his side from the position he was in, a phantom pain of an old injury, but he ignored it. No way was he letting his brother go.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, it’s okay buddy. I’m here. I’ve got you.” He heard Janus say quietly. Virgil pulled back once more at that, shaking his head and wiping his eyes from the remaining tears, “No,” He said firmly, making Janus blink in confusion, “You know what? From know on, <em>i’ve</em> got <em>you.</em> I’m promoting myself to older brother to keep you out of trouble, mister. If you get in <em>any</em> danger from now on, you’re in big trouble.” He joked.<br/>
<br/>
Janus laughed, readjusting his hat from where it had slipped off his head while hugging Virgil. He must have gotten a new hat. Huh. “I’m very serious. You are now the younger brother. I’m taller than you anyways.” Virgil huffed, smirking.<br/>
<br/>
Janus gasped, “No you are <em>not!</em>” Before Virgil could reply a smooth voice answered for him as the door swung open and Logan walked in, “Actually, Virgil is in fact taller than you, by about… an inch.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ha.” Virgil said. He would question why Logan knew that, but knowing him, the guy could just look at them to know their exact height. It wouldn’t surprise him. Janus rolled his eyes with a smirk, “You’re lucky this is an emotional reunion moment or whatever, <em>big brother.</em>” Virgil smiled back at him, when out of nowhere a sudden sharp pain through his head made him wince and stumble back, falling back against Roman’s chest.<br/>
<br/>
“Virgil?” Janus’ voice had instantly turned concerned, looking at him with a frown. Virgil had almost forgotten about all the aches and pains that were currently plaguing him. He felt… different. Different than he had before, before he passed out. In a… bad way. Almost like he didn’t feel whole anymore...“Yeah…” He paused, “I think. …maybe not. I don’t… feel great. Everything hurts and it’s like i can feel every pain i’ve ever had all at once…” He mumbled.<br/>
<br/>
Janus gritted his teeth, “Shit. I was worried you’d have to go through that too…” He sighed, “Lie down, it’s going to take a while to wear off, unfortunately.” Roman gently pulled him back down on the bed until he was laying with his head resting on Roman’s chest, hearing the other’s heartbeat pounding in his ear. It was weirdly comforting, “Come here, i’ll give you some nice cuddles.”<br/>
<br/>
He scoffed lightly, “A’ight, princey.” He relaxed against Roman’s hold, letting out a sigh as Roman started running his hand through his hair again. It went quiet for a while, only the sound of soft humming coming from Roman and the sound of book pages being flipped. Virgil almost forgot that Logan and Janus were still there. “You were… asleep for a while.” He used the word ‘asleep’ despite them both knowing that wasn’t<em> quite </em>what it was.<br/>
<br/>
“How… how long?” Virgil asked, suddenly realising. He still didn’t know where they were, no one seemed panicked like they were in immediate danger, which was good, but… what had happened since he blacked out?  Roman swallowed and cleared his throat. “Well… we’re in somewhere new now. A new little village we found, another region along… so we’re safe now. Everything’s over.”<br/>
<br/>
Virgil decided to momentarily ignore that Roman avoided the question in favour of asking the many questions he himself now had. “Wait, what happened? What did i miss…?” He asked, slightly wary of the answer he was going to get. <em>How much </em>did he miss?<br/>
<br/>
“Well… uhm… the others met these guards, Reese and Raven, who were apparently nice and helped them escape the cell they were trapped in. Uh, since… we got caught… me and Patton… had to go through with the wedding. But we never actually got married!” He added the last part on quickly, then lent down to kiss Virgil’s forehead, “I promise.” He said quietly.<br/>
<br/>
Virgil let out a breath, “Oh… okay. And, uh, what happened after that?” Roman inhaled sharply, the tale wasn’t ever going to be an easy one to retell, “Well… uh…” He trailed off and sighed, “Sorry, it’s just… it got bad. It… we didn’t really have a <em>choice,</em> i know but… it wasn’t pleasant.”<br/>
<br/>
Virgil moved to tuck his head into the crook of Roman’s neck, “You don’t have to tell me right now, if you don’t want to.” He said softly. Roman reached out for his hand and gripped it tight, “No, it’s okay… i’ll tell you. But… maybe just… vaguely.”<br/>
<br/>
Virgil nodded and Roman continued, “So… uhm, well, i… stood up to my father. As did Patton. We… may have taken different approaches, but… still.” <em>Different approaches. Ah, yes, you stabbed your dad while Patton simply punched his in the face.</em> “Ah, uh, Remus… got… very violent with the guards but, well, at least he got us out, i suppose. He also… burned…ah, uh, well, pretty much everything down. <em>Ahem.</em> Oh! And Patton and Mr. romance-is-a-waste-of-time here finally got around to admitting their feelings.”<br/>
<br/>
Logan shot him a look, and Virgil sat up slightly, “Really? I was thinking Logan was just going to live in denial forever.” He said, smirking as he came to the end of his sentence. Logan huffed, “For your information, i did not <em>deny</em> anything, my feelings for Patton simply--”<br/>
<br/>
Roman cut him off, “Oh hush, bookworm. You love the little puffball, we get it.” Virgil let out a laugh, but then his brows furrowed suddenly, “Wait… so, Remus brutally murdering people doesn’t really surprise me, honestly,that's probably a normal tuesday for him, but… how did you get rid of your dad…?” He asked, hesitatingly as if he already knew there was a dark answer.<br/>
<br/>
Roman sighed, supplying the vaguest answer he could, yet it still said everything you needed to know, “I did what i had to do, Virgil.”<br/>
<br/>
Virgil’s eyes widened, “Did… did you-? Wow… i…i wasn’t expecting that from you.” Roman winced, of course, he hadn’t scared Virgil off with the thought, considering he watched Virgil murder a man with poisionus spider legs, but still… he didn’t like hearing the tone in Virgil’s voice.<br/>
<br/>
“At the time i didn’t care, i thought he deserved it. And, well, i still do. But it… stings a little more now, i suppose.” Roman said, looking down instead of meeting Virgil’s eyes. It wasn’t that he regretted it, just the sting of what he’d done and the fact that… he could never take it back.<br/>
<br/>
Virgil brushed the hair out of his face, “It’s okay, i mean, it’s not… <em>ideal.</em> But when you have to do something, you have to do something… wait, what do you mean, it stings a little more now? <em>Now</em>? How long has it been?”<br/>
<br/>
Roman blinked, “Ah, uh…” Roman trailed off, eyes glancing to the side. Logan interjected the conversation once again, not understanding the reason why Roman was hesitant, “About a month, two weeks, three days, ten hours-”<br/>
<br/>
“<em>A month?!”</em> Virgil cut him off with a horrified yell, “I was out for an entire <em>month!?”</em><br/>
<br/>
“And two weeks, three days--”<br/>
<br/>
“Logan!” Roman cut him off, giving his friend a stern look. Roman sighed and turned back to Virgil, quickly realising the other had started hyperventilating, “Darling, it’s okay, please my love, calm down!” He shushed the other gently, continuing to gently run his hand through his hair, it always seemed the calm Virgil down, and holding him close.<br/>
<br/>
“I- i don’t- ..<em>.how</em>…?” Virgil muttered, sounding lost. It wasn’t that surprising, Roman could only imagine how much Virgil’s brain had been thrown for a loop. “I’m… not sure.” Roman replied, really, they hadn’t figured it out yet. Well, he wasn’t exactly in on every conversation the others were having, too busy, always coming back to where Virgil was to see if he was awake yet, Janus had been doing the same. The two of them ran into each other many times, sitting in silence as they watched Virgil’s unconscious body, hoping and praying he’d wake up.<br/>
<br/>
“Actually, i have recently come up with a theory.” Logan said, flipping through the journal he was holding, <em>huh</em>, Roman thought, <em>so he wasn’t reading a book, he was going through his journal</em>, “I’ve been observing and talking to Janus about the changes that have occurred to him since his… ah, shall we say, since he <em>woke up</em>. The changes seem to be only to his body and not to his mind, which leads me to believe that what may have happened is that his body is simply… not quite alive.”<br/>
<br/>
With the contents of the room now all staring at him, Logan cleared his throat and continued, “Well, as we all know he was… to put it bluntly, dead, as unfortunate as it was, we all saw it.” There was an uncomfortable pause before he spoke up again, “And as it stands, not even the powerful magic of magicks users can bring someone back from the dead.”<br/>
<br/>
“Therefore, it makes no sense that Virgil would have suddenly gained this <em>impossible</em> ability out of a thin air. No, what i believe this was, was not quite resurrection, just… an extreme version of Virgil’s healing powers. Whenever Virgil would heal something to all of his ability, he would get drained, correct? I believe this was simply an extreme version of that. He must sacrifice something to heal greater wounds, and in this situation, i believe what he gave was part of his own life.”<br/>
<br/>
“Wait, wait, you think i somehow like… split my soul in half or something??” Virgil asked in disbelief, gawking at him. “Well…” Logan placed his journal down at the end of the bed, having the other three crowd over him to see. “I cannot be sure, but in basic terms, yes. I think you may have unintentionally split your life, your soul, whatever it may be, into two parts and transferred it to Janus. This gives him the ability to walk and talk and breathe, but, well, he is not fully alive, his body is only half alive, the half of the live that <em>you</em> gave him.”<br/>
<br/>
“Half-alive? How can i be only <em>half</em> alive?” Janus asked, staring at him with wide eyes. Logan stood up straight, adjusting his glasses, “Well, from what i’ve seen, your physical abilities and such have seemed to have decreased by about… half. Half the amount of energy, but also you only seem to need half the amount of food, and half the psychical strength, as much as you’ve been trying to hide that one.”<br/>
<br/>
Janus’ face went red and he turned away, huffing. Logan continued his explanation, “That means it’s safe to say the same will go for you, Virgil. That your body is, in simple terms, only half alive. This may explain why you were unconscious for so long. Your body had to regain <em>far</em> more energy than usual before you could wake, not to mention how much slower that process would now be.”<br/>
<br/>
“True, Janus has started sleeping half the day.” Roman added with a snicker.<br/>
<br/>
<em>“Hey</em>!”<br/>
<br/>
“Wait, so… this is a permanent thing?” Virgil asked, voice much quieter than before, a nervous undertone in his voice. Logan sighed, “Unfortunately, that is most likely the case. I can’t imagine this will fix itself. Your life is not over, however. I’m sure you and Janus can both find ways to overcome and deal with the new issues presented in your life.”<br/>
<br/>
“Excuse me, who says i haven’t already learned to deal with it?” Janus asked, glaring and crossing his arms across his chest. “The fact that you have spent the last month sleeping.” Logan said simply, closing his journal with a small slam.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m <em>tired.</em>” Janus argued, glaring harder.<br/>
<br/>
“And refusing to acknowledge your problems as always.” Logan said as he began to walk away, “It’s not advised.” He said, turning his head back to look at him. Janus blew a raspberry in his direction as he left out the door, glaring at the now closed door sourly.<br/>
<br/>
“He’s right, that didn’t go so well for you last time, did it?” Virgil said, looking up at his brother with a raised eyebrow. Janus sighed heavily, letting his arms drop to his side, “<em>Fine</em>, he’s right. He’s always right.” He said, still sour, “Still… it’s annoying. Frustrating. Of course, i’m glad to be <em>alive</em>, but… i’m about as useful as a dry stick these days.”<br/>
<br/>
Virgil reached for his hand, “Hey now, as your older brother i don’t allow bad self-talk.” He said, grinning into the joke. Janus laughed and rolled his eyes, holding Virgil’s hand, and Virgil felt something in his chest settle and feel at ease. Janus was really alright, he was still himself and well enough, and by the sounds of it, everyone else had made it out alive and well too.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s… not just the body stuff though. My weird zombie body isn’t the only problem.” He laughed dryly, “When… i woke up, i had all these… memories. Stuff that was all blurred and forgotten before… All those times… i remembered <em>everything,</em> my arm, the day we left… all of it… <em>so clearly.</em>” He said, voice shaking.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>What</em>?” Virgil shot up once more, eyes widening, “My god, you… are you… alright? I don’t know what--” Virgil cut himself off as he was interrupted by a sharp pain in his head, same as it had been before, like something was digging a dagger through his skull. Except this time it came with a visual, as the world around him faded away into darkness and he was sucked into a long-lost memory flashing before his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He could feel that he was somewhere else in time. A time in the past, it had to be, he knew it, he could feel that it was a long-ago memory. He was only young, a kid. He felt like he was <em>in</em> the memory, he could feel every detail from the slightest gust of breeze around him from the cracked window above him to the dried blood still caked up on his back from god knows which recent fit of rage his father had had.<br/>
<br/>
It was eerily silent, the room half-dark half-light as the sun set in the sky, it must have been the quietest moment he’d seen in years. And then yelling registered in his ears. <em>Oh</em>. He… he remembered those words. He was back in the day they left. This was before Janus had showed up, it was just him and his father. His extremely angry father. Why was he angry again?<br/>
<br/>
“You are a <em>filthy</em> little <em>freak</em>, just like your monstrosity of a <em>brother</em>!” His father spat and growled angrily. He’d seemed to have showed up out of nowhere, the memory having shifted to a part Virgil didn’t remember.<br/>
<br/>
But that’s when Virgil did remember something, <em>why </em>his father was so mad. He felt everything the memory had to offer, including every inch of the pain spreading across his body as he slammed into the wall. Not to mention the extra pain on his back he felt as a non-human like hiss fell from his mouth.<br/>
<br/>
<em>Oh.</em><br/>
<br/>
That’s why. <em>That’s why he was so mad.</em> The spider legs. Not to mention the extra eyes. He could feel them, six barely grown spider legs sticking out of his back, honestly Virgil was surprised his father never tried to cut them off. That was the first time they’d appeared, right in front of his magicks hating father in his fit of rage, a weak attempt for Virgil to protect himself, but at the time he had no idea what was going on. His father’s anger had <em>tripled,</em> he was practically foaming at the mouth with pure <em>fury.</em><br/>
<br/>
He stormed over and kicked Virgil directly in the chest, and Virgil could have sworn he heard a crack in his ribs. Then, he was lifted roughly by the collar of his tattered shirt and his head was slammed directly against the hard brick wall. Repeatedly, god knows how many times, until he was bleeding so much his blood splattered and dripped down the bricks, the bright purple swirls in the red liquid now clearly visible, even though Virgil could of sworn it was never there before.<br/>
<br/>
He mercifully blacked out, although not for long, as he must of come round again less than half an hour later, ...the spider legs and eyes were gone, hidden away once again, and he had no trace of a memory of them existing in the first place. He never remembered he had them, they had been torn from his memory after having his head bashed in.<br/>
<br/>
That’s why. That’s why he never <em>knew.</em> That’s why he didn’t <em>remember--</em><em><br/>
</em><em><br/>
</em>The rest of the memory flashed before him at speed, when Janus came back, the yelling, the begging, the <em>knife,</em> the <em>blood </em><b><em>all over the floor, </em></b><em>the </em><b><em>screams, </em></b><em>the way the knife was </em><b><em>plunging into</em></b> <b><em>HIS CHEST</em></b>--<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He was yanked back to the present, finding that tears had filled up and drowned his eyes, spilling down his cheeks, his hands were pulling at his hair, and his breath was rapid and uneven as his chest was horribly tight. He’d been so sucked into the memory that he hadn’t noticed what he was doing in the outside world, he felt like he’d lived it once again, he could feel the aching, throbbing pain in his head.<br/>
<br/>
As the present world came back to him, he registered not only what he himself was doing, but that they were people around him, there were voices. And the voices… were panicked, sounding like they were desperately trying to do something. What--?<br/>
<br/>
“Virgil, Virgil sweetheart, you need to breathe darling--”<br/>
<br/>
“Virge? Virgil! What’s wrong?”<br/>
<br/>
Oh. <em>Oh.</em> They were trying to desperately calm<em> him</em> down. He was in the middle of a panic attack, of course they were trying to calm him. Oh god, he was actually having a panic attack. Oh, oh, oh- He needed to- needed to--<br/>
<br/>
“Breathe, stormcloud, in and out.”<br/>
<br/>
<em>Breathe. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Just… in and out.</em> He told himself, he felt hands on top of his, gently pulling them away from his hair. Part of him wanted to flinch away, he could see a reddish coloured blob in front of him but his vision was still too blurred to see clearly, but he soon recognized the sound of Roman’s voice. Roman was safe, he didn’t need to flinch away.  “Virgil? Stormcloud, can you hear me? Breathe, honey, okay?”<br/>
<br/>
<em>In and out.</em> He’d done this a million times before. <em>Just in</em>… he took a deep breath in, hearing as the panicked voices immediately silenced at the action. <em>And out</em>… he let out the breath slowly and he heard a soft voice whisper, “That’s good, Virgil, you’re doing so good, Just a few more, okay?”<br/>
<br/>
<em>Just a few more. In and out, super easy.</em> It really wasn’t ‘<em>super easy</em>’, he knew that, but there was no harm in giving himself a little push, was there?  <em>In…</em> he took another breath in, <em>and out…</em> he let it out. He could do this. He did, over and over, until the air could reach his lungs without trouble once more.<br/>
<br/>
<em>That’s why.</em><em><br/>
</em><em><br/>
</em><em>That’s why Janus never knew, either, he wasn’t there. He wasn’t there. It was just me and him.</em><em><br/>
</em><em><br/>
</em>“Virgil?”<br/>
<br/>
He looked up at the sound of his name, meeting Janus’ concerned filled eyes. He should say something comforting, assure them he was alright, but before he knew it, words were spilling out his mouth without his permission, “You- you weren’t there. That’s- that’s <em>why--</em>” He was rambling, stuttering words of pure nonsense, he knew it, but it was like he couldn’t stop himself.<br/>
<br/>
“Wasn’t… where? Virgil, what’s wrong?” Janus asked, seeming to only grow more worried and concerned by the second. Virgil shook his head, he needed to stay in the present, he knew that, but it was <em>hard.</em> The memory kept flashing before his eyes, the realisation crashing down on him.<br/>
<br/>
He could have known all this time. He could have protected himself, protected Janus, he could have done so much <em>more.</em> He could have done more than just been a <em>burden.</em> He could have pulled his own weight, could have helped fight before he was fifteen, since before then Janus refused to let him use a dagger. He could have done so much <em>more</em> to <em>help</em>.<br/>
<br/>
“Virgil…!”<br/>
<br/>
He snapped himself back to the present at the sound of a panicked voice, he had to keep from losing himself again. He took in breaths shakily. “I- i… i remembered something…” He murmured. Silence filled the room.<br/>
<br/>
He saw someone shift out of the corner of his teary blurred eye’s vision and then suddenly Janus was standing in front of him, his vision seemed to clear and he could see an almost horrified look on Janus’ face.<br/>
<br/>
“You- what… what did you remember…?” He asked, a little shaky himself.<br/>
<br/>
He swallowed, realising Roman’s arms were still loosely holding him, one experimentally stroking up and down his back. It helped ground him a little. “I… a memory… i think. Yeah, it… it was. Of… <em>him</em>. It was the day we left…” He said slowly, trailing off. Did Janus even remember that day?<br/>
<br/>
“But… i thought you remembered all of that already…” Janus said, confusion laced into his worry. He shook his head slightly, “I thought i did too but… my spider legs. He… he found out about them. That’s why he was so angry. That’s why he…” He trailed off, eyes falling down to the floor.<br/>
<br/>
“What? He <em>knew?”</em> Janus asked in disbelief, “But… why didn’t <em>you</em> know…? Virgil…?”<br/>
<br/>
Virgil looked up again and met Janus’ eyes, “... You know me, i always did get a lot of head injuries...” He said, so quiet it was almost a whisper.<br/>
<br/>
Janus’ face fell even further somehow and he immediately went in for another hug, gentle but somehow still tight, like he was clinging to Virgil but trying to protect him at the same time. Their hugs always usually felt that way. It always reminded Virgil that Janus needed him just as much as he needed Janus.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m so sorry i wasn’t there…” Janus whispered, holding Virgil tighter. Virgil leaned into the hug, resting his head on Janus’ shoulder, “No. It’s okay… it’s not your fault. You… still defended me that day. I remember what you did.”<br/>
<br/>
Janus sucked in a breath, “Yeah. That was… quite the day, huh?” <br/>
<br/>
“Hey… it’s alright. I may not know fully what you two have been through or what you’re talking about, but i can tell you both that you are absolutely one hundred percent safe now.” Roman said, gently pulling Virgil back against his chest when the brothers were done with their hug.<br/>
<br/>
Virgil let out a sigh, letting his head rest against Roman’s chest and once again hearing the strangely calming heartbeat, “I sure hope so…” He said quietly, letting his eyes close as Roman swept the hair out of his face.<br/>
<br/>
“You are. I promise.”<br/>
<br/>
Virgil wanted to believe it. And he did. And Roman never went back on his promise.<br/>
<br/>
--<br/>
<b><em><br/>
</em></b><b><em>One Year After The Main Events Of The Story</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><b><em><br/>
</em></b><br/>
“Oh god, oh god, <em>oh GOD!” </em><br/>
<br/>
Remus’ cackle filled the room, “Calm down, lover boy. I don’t think i’ve ever seen you so stressed <em>ever!</em>” Remy sent a glare his way, but it, as always, didn’t affect Remus in the slightest. <em>Calm down.</em> How was he supposed to calm down!? It was like, the biggest day of his life!<br/>
<br/>
He still couldn’t even believe Emile had said yes. After all the… wedding PTSD of sorts they all had, it was… surprising. He knew that Emile loved him, of course, but marriage was a whole other level.<br/>
<br/>
But he’d said yes, and him and Patton, the person Emile had obviously chosen to be right by his side throughout the whole thing, had spent months excitedly planning the day. Despite the fact it was only an <em>extremely</em> small affair. They couldn’t exactly invite anyone they wanted, could they?<br/>
<br/>
Still, they’d gotten Remy’s mother to come out for the wedding, mostly because Remy knew if he didn’t invite his own mother to his wedding day he wouldn’t live to see the next day. Mrs. Sanders found a way to be there, “<em>A mother finds a way!”</em> She had said. And all of their friends would be there, too.<br/>
<br/>
Remy smiled to himself, he was looking into a full-length mirror, seeing himself smile back. It was all going to be fine, he knew it. It was going to be perfect, even if small. The village they had settled in was lush with flowers and wildlife, making a beautiful scenery. When they’d gone to pick some flowers for decoration, they found all kinds, all shapes, colours and sizes, and Emile couldn't care less if they matched or not. And all of their friends, everyone they ever needed, would be there.<br/>
<br/>
Remus groaned, “Can we go already? I’m getting tired of being in this suit. I don’t do suits, lover boy!” He said, pulling on the collar of his shirt. Trying to get him to put on that suit was like trying to wrangle a toddler on a sugar high. Remy rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Tell that to that old green thing you used to wear.”<br/>
<br/>
Remus gasped, “How dare you! It was not a <em>suit,</em> it was a beautiful mess of clothes! And i looked <em>great </em>in it. Especially my ass, although my ass always looks good.” He said, grin growing on his face. Remy rolled his eyes again, Remus was still the same old Remus. Not that Remy would have it any other way, he wouldn’t change his best friend for anything in the world.<br/>
<br/>
“Still, miss my sash though. Do you know how <em>hard </em>it is to find bright green material like that? I’ve tried, trust me, seamstresses look at me like i’m mad when i ask them if they have any neon green! Like, really, you don’t have <em>anything</em>?” Remus rambled on.<br/>
<br/>
Remy turned around to face Remus, huffing, “You done yet? We have a wedding to get too, you know.” Remus grinned once more, “Yes, let’s go! I’m dying to see my sexy snake in a suit.” He said, licking his lips.<br/>
<br/>
“Eugh. Stop that.” Remy hissed, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Remus cackled again, grabbing his arm and linking their arms together, “Come on lover boy, we’ve got a wedding to get too!”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
This… this was what a wedding was supposed to be. Two people who couldn’t <em>wait</em> to be married, together forever with nothing being able to come between them. Guests that loved and cared for them and wouldn’t miss their wedding day for the world. Wild flowers of any colour they wanted, no strict colours or rules, nothing had to look perfect, just had to look… like it should. The way nature wanted it to look.<br/>
<br/>
Just as the grooms did, no strict look, just however they wanted to look, Emile had decided to wear a white and pale pink, long lacey wedding dress, and no one was going to question him. Especially since he looked so amazing in it. He’d grown his hair out a little over the past year, and Patton had tied up the locks in a pale pink bow, completing the look in a way that almost made Remy pass out on the spot.<br/>
<br/>
Emile giggled as he walked down their makeshift isle, a long red and gold carpet, Patton by his side. Patton grinned happily and shot them both a thumbs up before going to sit down beside Logan. “Hi.” Emile whispered, smiling like crazy as he stood across from Remy.<br/>
<br/>
Remy couldn’t stop himself from smiling the exact same way back, god, how could he have ever been nervous about this? It was the most amazing feeling in the world. He could’ve never imagined how great it would feel to stand across from the man he loved most in the world, about to marry him.<br/>
<br/>
His thoughts were interrupted as Logan cleared his throat and spoke up, “Are we ready to start?” Logan asked, they certainly <em>had</em> questioned how he was certified to marry people and Logan simply answered, “I’m certified to do a lot of things, i wanted to be prepared for anything”. Which… they did <em>not </em>question further. You didn’t question Logan, Logan questioned you.<br/>
<br/>
Remy nodded to him and he nodded back, raising the volume of his voice to address the whole room, “Ladies and gentlemen, although there are few of us, we are still all gathered here today to celebrate the union of Emile Picani and Remy Sanders…”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
As soon as the ceremony was over, Mrs. Sanders was the first to jump up and rush over to give her son a hug, “Oh gosh! It was so wonderful, darling!” Mrs. Sanders said, hugging Remy impossibly tight. Remy was afraid he might actually <em>explode</em>. “Ma! You’re gonna suffocate me!” He huffed, but he was smiling nonetheless. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to <em>stop</em> smiling for at least a month.<br/>
<br/>
His mother gasped as she pulled away from the hug, “And my new son in law!” She grabbed Emile and pulled him into an equally crushing hug, but he took it in his stride, hugging her back with a laugh, “And you’re my mother in law now!”<br/>
<br/>
“A shame your own parents couldn’t make it, sweetheart.” Mrs. Sanders tutted, giving a sympathetic frown. Emile shrugged, giving a small smile in return, “Since they lived in Deria… it couldn’t be done, really.” The mention of Deria automatically put a downer on the conversation, making the three of them all turn quiet.<br/>
<br/>
“No talk of that now, pinkie, this is a wedding!” Remus said, suddenly interjecting the conversation, striding over and putting an arm around Remy’s shoulders. He grinned, “<em>Hellllooo </em>there Mrs. Sanders, looking <em>dazzling </em>as always.” He said with a wink.<br/>
<br/>
She rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips, “Enough of that, you scoundrel. Don’t you have a young man of your own to be with right now?” Remus grinned even wider and Mrs. Sanders rolled her eyes once more, “Go on, off you pop. Gosh knows what i would have done if i ended up with <em>you</em> as my son in law.” She joked.<br/>
<br/>
“Could have been, Mrs. Sanders, could have been!” Remus called out as he bounced away, still grinning and cackling. “It was never an option!” Remy yelled back, then turned back to his husband and mother with a huff. Emile giggled, “He jokes but he’d never stray from Janus’ side, really. Trust me, he’s like a dog following the scent of sausages.”<br/>
<br/>
“A really, <em>really</em> nasty dog.” Remy added sourly.<br/>
<br/>
Mrs. Sanders chuckled and shook her head, “Well, come on then, let’s leave him be and go get some cake, shall we?” She suggested. Remy sighed and smiled, “Yeah.” He took Emile’s hand and kissed his cheek, “Let’s go enjoy our wedding day.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Janus sighed, “I swear to Joan, Remus, you’ve got frosting all over your face.” He huffed. Remus grinned at him and Janus rolled his eyes fondly. He went to grab a napkin so he could wipe off the frosting, but before he could do so, Remus grabbed him by the waist and pulled him to place a frosty kiss on his cheek.<br/>
<br/>
“<em>Remus</em>!” Janus hissed.<br/>
<br/>
Remus laughed, “I can lick it off if you’d like.” He offered, pulling Janus closer. Janus’ cheeks flushed, “We’re literally in a room <em>full of people</em> right now!” Janus whisper-hissed at him, face redder than a tomato. Remus rolled his eyes, “Gosh, boring as ever.” He said, laughing quietly. <br/>
<br/>
He grabbed a napkin and wiped the frosting away, leaving another, non-frosty kiss on Janus’ cheek. “Dumbass…” Janus muttered, wrapping his arms around Remus’ torso and leaning his head on the other’s shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
Remus pressed a kiss into his hair as his hand was tangled in the locks, squeezing him in return to the hug. He pulled back a minute later, “Your hair is so short now you cut it, not as fun anymore.” He pouted. Janus laughed, “It was getting far too difficult. Do you know how much of a nightmare long hair like that is to wash?”<br/>
<br/>
Remus huffed, “Yeah but it was fluffy and soft and i could run my hand through it!” He complained. Janus snorted, “You still can, Remus.” Remus huffed again, but smiled despite it, running his hand down the back of Janus’ head, “You want some cake? It’s actually pretty good.” He suggested.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, and <em>i</em> won’t get frosting all over my face.” Janus said with a smirk. Remus grinned, “You know you love me.” Janus rolled his eyes with a smile, leaning forward for another kiss, “Yeah, i do.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Ooo, look, the frosting is purple!” Roman said excitedly as he grabbed a slice of wedding cake. Virgil smiled at him, “The perfect colour choice.” He took the plate Roman handed him, “Would of thought Emile would have chosen pink.” Roman hummed, licking off the dab of frosting he’d gotten on his finger.<br/>
<br/>
Roman shrugged, “Kinda hard to be picky around here. We don’t have a lot to work with, after all.”  Virgil shook his head, “No, it was just an accident. Patton messed up the colours.” He snickered. Roman laughed, “Of course, classic padre.” He placed down his plate on the table beside them, “Anyways, on another subject, have i told you yet how <em>dashing </em>you look in that outfit?” Roman said, smirking flirtatiously.<br/>
<br/>
Virgil raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Oh, really? Have i told <em>you</em> how dashing <em>you</em> look in <em>that </em>outfit?” Roman gasped, “Virgil! You <em>charmer.</em>” Virgil smirked, “Well, i’m simply telling the truth.”<br/>
<br/>
“Why, thank you! I do look rather good, don’t i?” Roman said, twirling around on the spot. Virgil laughed, “Yeah, of course you do, you always do princey.”<br/>
<br/>
Roman opened his mouth to reply when he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He blinked a few times, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion as he moved his hand to grab whatever it was. He looked up, there was a flower basket hanging above where they stood. He looked at his hand, a dark purple flower had fallen from the basket onto his shoulder.<br/>
<br/>
He grinned at the pretty flower in his hand, immediately going to place the flower in Virgil’s hair, gripping the side of his face gently as he tucked the flower into his purple locks. Virgil looked at him, one eyebrow raised in confusion, “Roman, what are you--?”<br/>
<br/>
“Now you look <em>perfect.” </em>Roman said with a wink. Virgil’s cheek tinged pink as he felt the flower in his hair, “Oh, uh… thanks, Roman.” He mumbled, looking away.<br/>
<br/>
Roman cupped his cheeks with his hands, lifting his face up as he leaned in, giving him a kiss on the lips. “You’re welcome, stormcloud.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Come on Lolo, let’s go dance with everyone else!” Patton cheered, pulling Logan by their linked arms onto the dance floor. Logan tried to protest but there was no stopping Patton when he had his mind made up on something, he knew that for sure.<br/>
<br/>
He pulled Logan forward and tried to spin him, but failed due to height difference. “Oopsies!”  Logan smiled at the attempt, taking the lead and spinning Patton himself. Patton giggled and landed into Logan’s chest, hugging him tightly.<br/>
<br/>
Patton grabbed both of Logan’s hands and started to move back and forth, it was barely dancing but he seemed to be enjoying it, so who was Logan to complain? Especially not when Patton looked so adorable, wearing a pale blue dress and cardigan, the skirt of the dress swaying back and forth as he moved around. <br/>
<br/>
An idea popped into Logan’s mind and he smirked, he looked down at Patton, still holding onto his hands, “Patton?” Patton looked up and smiled brightly at him, “Hm? What’s up, logie?"<br/>
<br/>
Logan frowned for a moment before squinting his eyes in fake concentration, “You have something, right there...” Patton tilted his head to the side in confusion almost looking like a dazed puppy, “Whe--” Before Patton could finishing asking where, Logan swiftly picked him up and held him bridal style as he twirled them both around, the air around them was filled with Patton’s happy shrieks and giggles and Logan’s chuckles.<br/>
<br/>
Logan stopped twirling but kept a hold of Patton in the air as they had a moment of almost silent staring into each other’s eyes, with only the sound of Patton’s breathless laughs. They almost forget anyone else was even around them, so lost in each other.<br/>
<br/>
Logan began to slowly move forward but before he could close the gap, Patton did it for him, sealing their lips together sweetly. Their kiss was interrupted abruptly by a teasing voice behind them, “You know there's other people here who can see you, right?”<br/>
<br/>
Patton squealed and he whipped his head around to see Virgil, standing with Roman, behind them, both of them smirking, “Virgie!” He huffed, “You ruined our kiss!” Logan sighed with a smile and let down Patton carefully making sure he didn’t hurt himself …or possibly others. Despite Logan’s careful nature, Patton still stumbled back and hit Virgil’s shoulder.</p><p>Patton giggled and reached out to grab Virgil’s hand, pulling them into their impromptu dance, Roman along with him, “Let’s all dance together like one big family!”<br/>
<br/>
He spotted Janus and Remus across the room, huffing as he saw that Remus couldn’t even wait until the wedding was over to start getting handsy. “Hey! You two, get over here! Remus, keep your hands to yourself, mister!” He called. Logan sighed, but he couldn’t help but smile. Of course Patton wanted to find a way for them all to be together.<br/>
<br/>
Next Patton found a way to pull the grooms themselves into the mess as well, making them just a cluster of people all laughing and holding hands and attempting to dance together in the most uncoordinated way possible.<br/>
<br/>
It probably, no, <em> definitely </em> looked ridiculous, they kept bumping into each other and stumbling all over the place. Still, at least they were having fun, laughter and giggles filled the air. And their complete lack of dancing ability didn’t stop Mrs. Sanders from taking a picture of them either. She laughed, “The perfect wedding photo.”<br/>
<br/>
Remy looked at the picture and rolled his eyes, they most certainly did look ridiculous. Emile came to his side, hugging an arm around his waist and looking over his shoulder at the picture. He burst out laughing. Remy smiled. His mother was right. They were all together, they were smiling, they were all happy...<br/>
<br/>
It was perfect.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>... holy shit. I... wow. I can't believe it, honestly. It's over. ....THANK FUCKING GOODNESS- AHAHAHA-</p><p>God, i love this story, it'll always have a special place in my heart, but my heart hasn't really been in writing in for the past few months or so now, and i'm glad i can finally bring it to an end. I hope you all enjoyed this journey, and my mediocre writing. This has been a real ride.</p><p>As for these versions of the characters, they will most likely show up again for oneshots and such. Me and my co-writer/beta reader/my husband have some unfinished oneshots planned already, so hopefully those will come out. Although not for a while. I need a break from writing i think, aha. I am very burnt out.</p><p>Maybe one day i'll make a oneshot revealing what happened on the day Janus and Virgil left, but hey, gotta let them keep some of there secrets, haven't i?</p><p>Thank you all so so much for the kudos and lovely comments. And anyone who's been here from the start, thank you. It's been a long... what, nine months or so now? Gosh, this has taken a long fucking time. I love you all so much, and i'll see you guys next time i decide to torture myself by writing a multi-chaptered fic! toodles! &lt;3 &lt;3 &lt;3 -Noah ❤</p>
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